The Keeper
by heka
Summary: AU Updated: CHAPTER SIX IS HERE! After an outing to a haunted house, Riku Harada seems to have acquired a new, very bishie looking purple haired pet, which just complicates things to a whole new level. Dark x Riku.
1. Chapter 1

Heka: Okay this was written somewhere in the middle of my O Levels. Yes I write. I write when I can't go online, am feeling bored or otherwise. Else I wouldn't be here, posting it for all! Also I didn't feel like doing The Perfect Birthday for now as it was getting nil reviews and thus…

Shigure: Right.

Heka: My exams are over! I'm Going Postal! And people say I look like Shigure…

Dark: What? Eww!

Heka: I'm… Going To Post!

Shigure, Dark: What?

Heka: Stories!

Shigure, Dark: ……………

Shigure: Right. That's it. I'm Going Mad.

Heka: Please review and tell me what you think about it! Oh yeah, this was, scarily, inspired by a dream! And now, my disclaimer: everyone here doesn't belong to me; they belong to the great Bunny-sama who drew them and created them. I guess only the story's mine but then again, we may never know…

Dark: Oh, shut up and get on with the story already.

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**Title: The Keeper **

'Riku… please help me…'

The girl endowed with a crop of coppery red hair jerked her head up. She was supposed to be revising for a very important Math test the next day but somehow, she must have fallen asleep. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was almost eleven in the night. Shaking her head in a bid to clear her mind, she refocused her energy on the dull-looking textbook in front of her. The voice sounded distinctly familiar though…

'Riku!' the whispery voice cried again, this time more urgently. Alarmed, Riku looked around her fair-sized room. There wasn't anyone around but the balcony door was open, with a little wind blowing through it. That was odd, as she always had the doors closed at night. Standing up with a slight frown, Riku moved to close the door only to notice someone with familiar messy purple hair out on her balcony, leaning against her glass doors, looking extremely faint and exhausted.

'Dark!' Riku exclaimed softly, leaning over and helping him to her room. The handsome teenager with violently purple hair looked distinctively worst for the wear, his black shirt and cargo pants, clothes that he had been wearing when he disappeared a few days ago, torn in several areas. Riku's room was dark save for her table lamp but she noticed that he winced even in the dim light and it pained her. 'Are you alright? Everyone's been looking for you! Where did you go?'

Dark gripped her shirt sleeve, murmuring urgently as he lay down on her bed. 'Riku… I didn't make it. The Window of Opportunity… I missed it.' As Riku sat down next to him, she stiffened as she heard his words. The Window of Opportunity. She knew of it alright.

A few days ago, she had coerced her twin sister, Risa Harada, their best friend, Daisuke Niwa and his irritating cousin who decided to tag along, Dark Mousy, into going to the haunted house at the edge of town and the forest. She had heard of all the stories concerning it and after much consideration, Riku decided that she didn't believe in any of them and wanted to prove it. Unfortunately in their bid for truth, all four teenagers had been attacked by something huge and white, and all three of them woke up a few hours later in a clearing near the house with bite marks on their necks. All immediately knew what had happened but Dark Mousy had disappeared.

Frantic, they ran to Daisuke's house, which contained a veritable library on all things occult. There they had learnt feverishly of vampires, their victims and the Window of Opportunity, which lasted for twenty-four hours. Should the victim hold out for twenty-four hours after getting bitten, by not consuming anything which contained blood, the bite would heal and the person would remain human. However, should the victim give in to temptation and consume blood, the bite would heal as well but the victim's fate would be sealed as a vampire.

The three of them had held out for almost a day in Daisuke's room before Risa had nearly given into the hunger. However, they had restrained her and encouraged her, as well as each other. And although the hunger and the temptation had been so great, they broke through the Window of Opportunity, and became human once more.

Their joy was short-lived however, as Dark was still missing. They were uneasy- Dark didn't have any relatives other than the Niwa family. Emiko, Daisuke's mother had nearly driven herself to insanity worrying about her suave nephew. They had continued searching for him, and even today, Riku had returned just an hour ago from a search party that had combed the area around the haunted house again, but to no avail. And now, Dark was lying on her bed, looking ghostly pale and tired.

'Kill the light, Riku. It's hurting my eyes,' Dark whispered, putting his arm over his eyes. Riku switched off the light obediently and returned to Dark's side, to examine him more closely. He was looking a little whiter than usual, his eyes were slightly bloodshot and dilated but overall he looked okay, she decided.

As she continued examining him, a wave of guilt washed over her and she blinked furiously at the sudden tears that appeared at the edge of her eyes. Though she knew that Daisuke and Risa probably didn't really blame her for leading them into the house, it had not stopped Riku from embarking on a massive guilt trip for the past few days, crying for no apparent reason when she was alone in her room.

'It's my entire fault,' she muttered, guilt and anger written all over her face.

'Hey, it's mine too. I gave in at the last hour. I can't believe what made me in give in though,' Dark laughed softly and bitterly, feeling better now that the light had been switched off. 'It was road kill that broke me… road kill!'

He sighed and turned, noticing that Riku was crying quietly, her tears dropping onto her hands on her bed. He tapped her shoulder gently and asked, 'Hey Riku, can you help me with something?'

-/-

'_To remain as humane as possible after passing the Window of Opportunity is an immensely difficult task. Most victims give in to temptation after two or three days, the longest ever for a human lasting around a week. However, in rare cases, a victim may be able to find another person to share his or her burden with, thus increasing his or her chances of remaining humane by a large extent. Often, the other person is used as a supply of 'willing' blood for the fledging vampire. This person is then referred to as the vampire's Keeper, as the person 'keeps' the vampire from embracing his or her true nature.' _

-/-

'You want me to be your Keeper?' Riku asked incredulously, all tears forgotten. After passing the Window of Opportunity, she had spent ample time at the Niwa's residence, researching on vampires and how to deal with them. She had read about Keepers but they never seemed to last long, indeed most died after a few short months or became vampires themselves.

Dark looked at her, his purple eyes shining with the confidence he had in her, distinct in the moonlight. 'Yes. Please? You've done it before, with Daisuke and Risa…'

Riku wanted to refuse as her fear of death was great. However a strong force within her rebelled: her conscience. She was the one who made him who he was today, and she should be the one to bring him out of it, or at least prevent him from sinking any deeper into it.

She nodded silently in agreement. Dark broke into a true smile and embraced her.

'Thank you,' he breathed into her left ear, filling his nose with her scent. Riku shivered slightly; she had never been embraced like this by someone of the opposite gender. Daisuke didn't count, they were best friends. All she could smell was him, all she could hear and see was him too… and all she could feel was his arms around her in this tight hug and her heart best much faster than before. What was this feeling in her…? So warm, yet unfamiliar… and something in her said in a smug voice, 'I could get used to this…' and Dark broke the embrace, albeit a little reluctantly.

'Are you cold? I'm sorry I left the door open…' Dark smiled apologetically. 'But that was the only way I could contact you-' he stopped as he saw Riku stand up mechanically and start rummaging through her drawers, finally locating a penknife. She pushed the blade out and tested its sharpness, before heading wordlessly to the bathroom.

'Riku…?' Dark asked, a little alarmed by her silent behaviour. 'What- what are you doing?' he craned to look as he heard the sound of tinkling water in the bathroom, before Riku emerged again with the knife, now clean.

'I'm your Keeper right?' Riku said softly as she sat by the side of the bed, with a very strange expression on her face. 'I know the role of Keepers,' she continued, and she stroked his cheek gently, whispering, 'You must be really hungry, huh?'

Dark was stunned. He was starving for blood, something he wanted to deny himself for the rest of his life if possible but here was Riku, offering herself to him… and him only. If only she knew what this mean to him…

Dark swallowed wordlessly, not only in anticipation, as Riku began to debate on where to cut herself.

'Not the arms… I'll have a hell of a time hiding these from Risa, she'd start thinking I tried to kill myself or something…'

'What about your shoulder?' Dark suggested with a faint smile, a mere shadow of his infamous smirk. 'You're always wearing T-shirts so it'd be well hidden.'

Riku glared at him and then pursed her lips. It was a good idea, after all, even if it was from the Great Hentai himself. 'Fine...' she sighed and she pulled the collar of her oversized shirt to reveal her collarbone and bra strap. Dark held her shirt and he looked almost as unsure as she felt.

'Wait. Will you become a vampire like that? I mean, I am drinking your blood and all…'

Riku shook her head as she positioned the blade to make the deepest cut in the shortest amount of time. 'No because… this blood was willingly given and the cut wasn't made by a vampire's teeth. Besides… the blood's already left my body… somewhat.'

Dark nodded, satisfied that she would not become like him because of her kindness. Now he watched in fascination as Riku lifted the blade and paused- closing her eyes tightly, and bringing down the blade hard on her skin and flesh. There was a soft hiss of shock from Riku and there it was… red and shiny… at her shoulder. It was… beautiful…

Riku noticed his blank look and frowned. Pulling the blade out with a wince, she snapped, 'Hurry up, you idiot! Before it clots!'

A large blob of blood was forming on her shoulder, and Dark's hunger was calling out to him. Shaking his head slightly, he lowered his head, placed his lips at her shoulder and took his first gulp of human blood.

The moment the blood touched his tongue and entered his throat; Dark felt like it was the first sip at the Fountain of Life. He had tasted animal blood before… but this- this was far more superior to any animal's blood! It was sweeter than anything he had ever tasted, it revived him, it filled him, it was… in short, something straight from heaven… and it was in his mouth and he couldn't stop himself from wanting much, much more of this.

Riku had sunken into a sort of stupor the moment his lips touched her shoulder. She had flinched when his mouth touched her bare skin but had relaxed slightly when she convinced herself that it was alright. However, she couldn't block out the strange emotions she was feeling. From all she knew, he was only drinking her blood but there was something else to it. Something else much more… arousing. The feeling of Dark feeding off her shoulder was hair-raising (I mean, come on, your best friends' cousin's a vampire?) but strangely, not unpleasant. It felt almost good, like someone giving her a particularly good massage. Almost automatically, she closed her eyes to soak in the strange, good feelings, only to open them again in surprise when Dark's hands moved to envelope her in another tight embrace, this time more urgently as he continued to leech her blood. Riku's heart, for some weird reason was working on overdrive, beating much faster than ever before as Dark continued his feeding. His lips were brushing her shoulder, his tongue was this rough feeling on her skin and it seemed so wrong… yet strangely, so right… and it wasn't hard to imagine where they would have gone if this wasn't actually a feeding session-

Riku winced slightly, jerking out of her very inappropriate thoughts. Something was scraping against her skin- and it hurt. Looking down, she was startled to see that Dark's canines had lengthened. She wanted to push him away- her hands were actually closed on his arms when she stopped herself hurriedly. She was his Keeper, she reminded herself over and over again, and it was her responsibility that he got fed, and he was depending on her for blood now-

Thus she forced herself to lie acquiesce in his arms, and waited- until the tell-tale signs of nodding off warned her that perhaps, Dark was feeding_ too_ fervently.

Shifting slightly, she nudged him, a sign that he should stop- and a sign that he ignored completely, except for an obliging 'mm' and then he continued his feeding, his eyes closed in ecstasy. Riku was beginning to feel annoyed- she agreed to be his Keeper and she knew of the consequences of her actions but there was a limit to how much Dark could drain, before she could faint and probably bleed to death on the floor- unless he got to her first.

'Dark!' she snapped. 'I'm going to faint!'

She felt him take one last long gulp before he pulled away with an almighty effort. She noticed that the edges of his mouth was still dripping with a little of her blood. She watched him lick the drops off with relish, before he leaned down and cleaned her wound with a few complementary licks, accompanied by his trademark smirk.

Furious, Riku took a bandage she had prepared beforehand and covered her wound before temptation rose again. Dark was now apologetic, and explained why hastily, as though he was slightly afraid of her, and also high on coffee.

'I'm sorry Riku- I forgot… but you tasted so good, and wonderful and glorious and it was so fantastic that I couldn't stop myself and I was so hungry that-' he prattled on, a satisfied grin very obviously on his face.

'Full now?' Riku grumbled, checking her bandage to see if the blood had clotted successfully. Losing so much blood in such a short time wasn't doing wonders was her temper, and the recipient apparently gained back his ego and he didn't look very grateful at all either. Damn it, she thought.

For a reply, Dark gave a tiny burp and grinned childishly. 'Sorry Riku,' he murmured and then said a little louder, 'Thanks.'

Mollified, Riku didn't answer until she had taken the First Aid kit from the wall and was opening it on the bed, still holding the wad of bandage to her wound. 'Whatever for?'

Dark subjected her to an intense stare as he watched her remove cotton wool, a pair of tweezers and some antiseptic. 'For what? Riku, you've given me the first full meal I had in days, you accepted me as a vampire and you agreed to by my Keeper, and you're _still_ asking whatever for?'

Riku couldn't bring herself to look at him. 'You don't blame me for turning you into what you are today?'

Dark laughed. Riku found herself longing for it and then she wondered why. 'Nonsense! Why would I? it wastes energy and I'll never be able to bring myself to be angry at you- ' here, Riku flushed, something that Dark could see perfectly in the darkness, 'because you're just too nice and cute to be angry at- ' here, she flushed deeper, much to his amusement, 'and besides, aren't you repaying me already, by being my esteemed Keeper?'

Riku stared at him, forgetting her tweezers completely. Dark shrugged and grinned. Unable to find an answer to his statement- normally she would have slapped him hard and called him a pervert but today, she just didn't feel like it- tired after the feeding session, she told herself hastily, not feeling weirdly happy and all- nope not at all; and she turned away to attend her wound again. 'You seem much better now…'

'Yeah, I've just fed remember? Blood's my food now, yours especially, being the first human I ever tasted.' Here, Riku glared at him when he gave her a roguish wink. 'I mean, come on, I know how to appreciate fine stuff you know,' he smiled but Riku could detect the sad tone behind his cheerfulness.

'I'll find a way to turn you back to human, Dark.' She reached out to touch his knee reassuringly, her wound, once again, forgotten.

'No you can't,' Dark replied cheerfully. 'It's irreversible already; after passing the Window of Opportunity. I'm stuck like this forever.' There was a carrying note of finality in that statement. Riku winced. And it was all her fault…

'I'm sorry.' She squeezed his knee. She couldn't see his expression but she guessed it was a bitter sort of smile. He could see hers clearly however, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Tenderly, he covered her hand with his.

'Don't be,' he said softly, stroking her hand. 'You've already made it up to me, by being my Keeper. It's an important responsibility, you know.' He smiled. 'So you've got to be the best Keeper there is, okay?'

'Yes,' Riku nodded, her head still downcast and her tears threatening to spill.

'Hey, from the way you're acting, it's like you became the vampire instead of me…' he teased. Riku forced a laugh and her tears finally dropped from her eyes. Wiping them away quickly, she didn't notice Dark moving closer and putting an arm around her until his arm rested on her shoulder, careful not to touch her wound. She jerked away slightly, feeling uncomfortable being this close to him; however Dark's grip was firm. 'Besides, ' he added, 'I think this suits me better, with my name and all… and I like the night better too…'

'Really,' Riku sniffed, turning away as she finally remembered to apply antiseptic on her wound. Tsking softly, Dark grinned and took the cotton wool gently from her hands. 'Hey…'

'I maybe a vampire but there's many things I still can do you know… and besides, I see better in the dark than you do,' he chided with another smile, as he pushed her hair away to examine the wound. 'Wow, it looks deep…'

'All for you, Dark Mousy, so you better appreciate it,' Riku replied, hissing slightly as the stinging solution touched her tender wound. 'Ow!'

'I know,' Dark replied, his tone far more serious than ever before, as he cleaned her cut. 'I appreciate it Riku, I appreciate it much more than you'll ever know.'

The rest of the little First-Aid session passed in stifling silence, as Riku didn't know how to answer to his statement: it was too embarrassing.

After putting a plaster on her wound and blowing a small kiss that outraged Riku- 'It'd heal better that way!' he had said with a most adorable look on his face when she smacked him; Dark stood up from the bed, rubbing his head ruefully, now more energetic after his feeding session, and peeked at Riku's not-too-neat table.

'Math test tomorrow?' he inferred, picking up her textbook up and scrutinizing it. Riku sighed and lay down on her bed, exhausted by the blood transfusion.

'Yeah… but it looks like I can't study now, with you hating light and me not being able to see in the dark…'

'Hmph. We'll see.' Dark tugged her off her bed and pulled her towards the balcony and as soon as they were outside, they were bathed in moonlight. Riku smiled slightly. 'Good thing I'm not a werewolf eh?' Dark grinned. 'Now can you see?'

Riku squinted at the book, unwilling to say that she _could_ see the book, giving him something to rejoice about and besides, she was tired... 'Yeah, almost,' she said but Dark snapped it shut. Riku's face was a mixture of anger and confusion as Dark winked.

'Don't worry, you won't need it. I'll tutor you,' Dark said with a smirk as Riku rolled her eyes mentally. 'I'm seventeen and one year older than you after all. C'mon, let me help you! What don't you understand?' Dark continued, with a very stupid grin on his face.

'You'll help me?' Riku asked suspiciously, leaning by the balcony door and yawning slightly.

'Of course. You mean I can't help my own Keeper?' Dark pouted, leaning on the balcony railing. Riku laughed. What goes around, comes around then…

'Well… thanks,' she replied. Dark smiled and beckoned for her to come closer to him, and put his arm around her again, enjoying the feel of her warm body close to his and her completely adorable squeak of alarm at his forwardness.

'No problem. Stop fidgeting, Riku, your teacher doesn't like mischief makers. Now about that topic…'

-/-

The white figure standing at the edge of the forest overlooking the town chuckled as he watched the two teenagers together at the balcony.

'So he got a Keeper. Pathetic attempt, but admirable at the same time. But he'll fail. They always do.'

-/-

Heka: _I was supposed to end here but another night of staying up after sleeping about three long hours in the afternoon proved me wrong… _

-/-

'And so, when you have quadratic equations…' Dark was reciting to the starry night sky above Riku's balcony, feeling so much better for the first time after a few days of starvation. 'You get…'

He stopped as his sharp ears caught a very soft sigh which emitted from somewhere near his right elbow. Turning to see, he broke into a gentle smile when he saw Riku leaning on his arm, her left arm interlocked with his right, her eyes closed as she dozed. Just as he was going to brush away a stray lock of hair from her cute face, Riku jerked awake in alarm.

'What? I mean, yes… you find the determinant ri-i- ' Riku murmured sleepily before breaking into a yawn. Dark smiled again, something which Riku noticed, and it alarmed her slightly. He was so weird sometimes… 'What?' she asked. He seemed to smile so much around her, so much that his face looked like it was going to crack, she thought, as Dark patted her arm.

'You should rest, my Keeper.'

Riku looked at him as though he had two heads. 'What? No! This is very important!' she retorted, now wide awake.

'But… not everyone had to feed me tonight…' Dark teased, his purple eyes gleaming with mischief. She was just so adorable, he wanted to hug her and never let go. 'Besides, there's no point in continuing, my dear, you'll just fall asleep again,' Dark pointed out, rather logically, in Riku's opinion, which made that the first, she added to herself. However before she could protest violently, Dark was already steering her easily towards her bedroom.

'But- but-' Riku stuttered anxiously as Dark continued to push her towards her bed. 'The Math test! My teacher will kill me!' she moaned. Still, when she laid eyes on her bed, all other thoughts except for the thought of how wonderfully soft and inviting her bed looked, vanished from her mind and mouth.

Dark sat her on the bed, carried her feet up onto the mattress and proceeded to tuck her in. Riku frowned, remembering her test and tried to get up but Dark pushed her down firmly with just two fingers. How'd he get so-?

'Vampire strength, dear. You should visit Daisuke's library more often.' Riku stuck her tongue out at him as Dark sat down next to her on her bed, having tucked her in to his satisfaction.

However, another question arose from Riku's sleepy mind and she asked in all innocence, 'Why me? And I'm not your dear!' she added.

Dark, who had been smoothing her covers, stopped. 'What, why you?' he repeated, not looking at her even though he knew exactly what she meant.

'Why me, as your Keeper? You could have gotten Daisuke or Mrs Niwa- she practically loves you- or Risa!' Riku persisted, placing her hand beneath his chin and turning his face to look at her. His skin was so smooth…

Dark pulled a chair over to the right of the bed and sat on it the wrong way- him facing the back of the chair, his own back facing the moon.

'Well,' he began, staring at her and making her feel uncomfortable again, 'you were the first person I thought of- hey, honest!' he yelped as Riku flung a pillow his way. Catching the fluffy projector missile, he hugged it and continued, 'I mean do you seriously think it'd look nice if I was sucking Daisuke's blood? It looks really wrong to me…'

Riku only looked blank. This guy cared about his image so much even when he was dying of starvation! He was hopeless. However, she winced when a very disturbing mental image appeared in her head.

Dark grinned. 'Glad you see it my way, and anyway, my aunt wouldn't really have minded but I think she'd never live it down that I let myself become a vampire in the first place. Risa, she'll probably reject me straightaway. She doesn't really like vampires, even though they can be devastatingly good looking and as hot as _me_.' He sighed dramatically, placing his hand on his chest in the traditional actor's flourish.

Riku made a face. He was so egoistic sometimes… she'd be happy to pop that ego bubble of his. She had much experience in that area, and she was about to do so when Dark's next sentence caught her off guard.

'… Besides, I knew you wouldn't leave me in the lurch; you are such a nice person and so sweet, and you'd help me and accept me… and even agree to be my Keeper…' His voice died away when he saw Riku's face change from an angry expression to a guilty one.

'Hey, it isn't so bad you know. I get to meet you every night- ' he grinned suggestively.

'Never said I liked it,' Riku snapped, her anger returning when she caught the hidden meaning of his words. Why that stinking flirt. To think she gave him her blood!

'- and drink your lovely blood, which I am very, very, very grateful for,' he added as he saw Riku get ready another comeback. 'And…' he smiled and shrugged.

'If being a vampire means all of this, then I'd rather be one, Riku.'

Riku didn't move. Did he mean it? Didn't he blame her? She knew she'd kill anyone who changed her into what he was today. He was actually… happy?

'Are you mad?' she whispered voicing her thoughts, her eyes huge with shock.

Dark laughed. He would never, ever get over the fact that she was so cute, how her face was a shifting canvas for all her expressions, and how quickly they appeared and disappeared…

'And I'm not saying this just to cheer you up, though you could use it,' he added, earning him another pillow in the face.

'And, now we've got to be serious. As _my_ Keeper,' here he emphasized the 'my' just to see her turn red and swing another pillow into his face, 'you've got to last as long as possible. We'll be setting up some ground rules, alright?'

-/-

It was nearly two in the morning when Riku finally gave in to the comforting waves of sleep, leaving Dark to observe her in relative peace. She would always notice when he was staring at her, observing her every move and curve, and ask what the matter was. Now… he could watch her in silence, and she would never complain. Her coppery sheen of hair, her smooth soft skin, which could never get tanned even under the sun's fierce glare for her track practices; her beautiful deep brown eyes like liquid chocolate, which were now hidden behind her eye lids which were framed by her long lashes…

And her nose. God knows how many times he had wanted to kiss that adorable nose, just to see her go red.

His eyes trailed to her lips. They were full and luscious, for a sixteen year-old, and looked so soft and inviting; it took all the self control he had not to kiss her fully on her lips before progressing onto a very much overdue match of tongue tag.

They had spent quite a while discussing on how much he could drain and when. After much debate, conducted in whispers after hearing with bated breath, Risa stumbling towards the washroom at night past Riku's bedroom, they had finally agreed that Dark _could_ come every night if he wanted to but could only drain her once a week, resting Riku's underlying fear of dying by bleeding to death.

'For the rest of the week, you're on your own, Rat Boy,' Riku had growled half-heartedly when Dark protested to this. 'I'd grow really weak if you drain me every day…'

'How do I know how much to drain?' he had asked, a little too innocently.

Riku had given him another whack with her pillow and exclaimed, 'You're the vampire! You should know! And _you_ tell me to read Daisuke's books more… geez!'

He smiled slightly as he remembered her angry look. Now he tucked her in gently for the last time, ready to leave before the sun rose. Then again, the sun would only rise in four hours time…

He laughed to himself and settled more comfortably on his chair, watching her sleep.

Under all that emotions, there was this very guilty girl with deep issues. No one blamed her for bringing them to the weird house, everyone recovered anyway, except him. He knew she was still feeling very terrible about the entire incident, and it twisted him inside. He guessed she'd never be able to forgive herself, which was why he asked her to redeem herself, in a way, by being his Keeper.

Fact was that, he was actually grateful to her. Without the bite, he would not have been able to sit here and watch her sleep; without the bite, he would not be able to have so many potential chances to tell her how much she meant to him- every night! It was heaven!Without the bite, he would have gone on secretly liking her while she proclaimed her dislike for him…

Dark chuckled softly. Life _was_ interesting, after all.

He tilted his head back as he remembered how her blood tasted. It was sweet, tantalizing, delicious and wonderful, just like her. And only for him to enjoy. And enjoy it he would, every last drop of it, until she was swooning in his arms, flushed with all the emotions he had injected into her as he fed, where as he would pierce her innocent skin for the first time and turn her into another him…

Dark lifted his head in alarm. Where did that thought come from? Then he felt _it_- the thing he had been suppressing for so long was now awake, revitalized by Riku's blood. It was getting stronger- the vampire nature in him, and he didn't know how much longer he could last, keeping _it_ under control. Now it was willing to compromise with him, as it saw Riku as a veritable supply of blood and an object of desire, the only thing he and it had in common. He couldn't be noble any more in front of it; _it_ was a part of him, and it knew him as well as he knew_ it_.

And they both wanted Riku.

He shivered. Pretty soon, he feared that it was going to break lose during his feeding sessions and turn Riku into a vampire like him.

'I'm sorry Riku,' he whispered, clasping one of his hands over hers. 'I really am.'

He squeezed her hand gently and watched in surprise as Riku's fingers slowly curled around his, as if in response.

Leaning over to kiss her goodnight and goodbye, for now, he took a long moment to savour her scent. The sweet smell of jasmine engulfed his now-sensitive nose and he took a deep breath, imprinting the smell into his brain, something to remember during the day when he waited for the night to come. She was the picture of peace, now that she was sleep, her soft silky hair falling gently over her face. He remembered the first time he saw her- at the community swimming pool where he had accidentally walked into the wrong changing room and saw her half-naked. Thankfully there wasn't anyone else, or he'd have more than Riku's wrath to deal with, which was bad enough on its own. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her rage, her eyes flashing magnificently and even then her lips looking so… delicious; and even though he was much taller than her, she had stormed up to him (fully clothed then) and all would have gone badly for him if Daisuke had not appeared miraculously to explain the situation. She had then grudgingly kept her temper, based on the fact that he was after all, her best friend's cousin and had settled on biting him with her poisonous words and calling him a pervert every time they met.

Speaking about that, she didn't call him a pervert at all through out this whole night…

Dark considered that an achievement, before his conscience told him it was probably her guilt stopping her from doing so.

Still leaning over, he realised that he wasn't the only one enjoying her scent… and he didn't like it at all.

Her scent… it would always matter to him now, he thought as he took a final deep breath. Remembering himself, he slipped his hand out of hers and placed his lips on her smooth forehead and left quietly through the balcony, leaping off the railing and disappearing into the darkness, vowing never to let the creature in him get to her.

For Riku was very dear to him… and Dark was a very selfish man.

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Heka: Yay! It's finally finished!

Dark: That's so… perverted of you, that- that-

Heka: Yeeesss?

Dark: That I love it so much!

Riku: When I find a lawyer, you are going to be so dead…

Heka: Eeep! I'll find the Wee Free Men! They hate lawyers!

Shigure, Dark, Riku: The what?

Heka: Sorry, Terry Pratchett moment. And I want you all to review! Yay! It's a One-shot but I think with enough reviews I could continue it into a story! Yay! Of course we all know who's big and white and belongs to D. N. Angel don't we?

Krad: No. I don't.

Heka: Never mind. Now I'll just sit here and hope you review. I love one-shots, they're so angsty and all, and well-written ones make me cry…


	2. Chapter 2: Bat in My Belfry

Heka: After much pain, thinking, procrastinating, doing The Bet-

Dark: Hotness!

Heka: Yes, and messages from readers threatening to kill me if I don't update this-

Shigure: KILL THE AUTHOR, KILL THE AUTHOR, KILL THE AUTHOR!

Heka: As Mit-san would say: Death to All Authors! Hell in burning!

Shigure: She said that?

Heka: Dunno. I have decided to update The Keeper!

(Cheers from all the readers)

Heka: Yep. I told myself, after 10 reviews. Then some time ago I got my thirteenth.

Shigure: Asking for an update.

Heka: Thank you. Everyone loves me!

Dark: I will deflate that ego bubble of yours by saying that this is due tomorrow, Valentine's Day!

Heka: You are an evil person.

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Dark Mousy. He was walking with her, and they were chatting and laughing like old friends. A side of her was confused; when were they ever good old friends?

All of a sudden, he began to sprint.

She followed anxiously, worried for a reason she did not know yet. He was ahead of her, having gotten a head start while she lagged behind. She was more confused; where was he going? And why was she so slow? Still she chased him, calling and asking him to stop. However he just kept running, towards the cliff facing the sea at the outskirts of town- but it wasn't facing the sea now; there was just black, swirling dark emptiness of nothing.

Dark Mousy was heading for the edge of the cliff. With a thrill of dread, she realized what he was going to do just before he did it. Riku wanted to scream, to tell him that he was insane, or that he wouldn't survive the fall. But just before he went over the edge, he turned and smirked at her, winking mischievously as well, as though to tell her that it was alright. Then he was gone; diving into the darkness just as she reached the edge. She then began to cry, weeping as it was too late, too late to save him…

The darkness at the bottom of the cliff swirled violently, flowing up and around her, forming a face she could not recognize. It smiled and reached for her with a huge black hand and caught her, protesting violently, before it swallowed her whole as well.

-/-

Riku yelped and forced her eyes open. She was on her bed; it was dawn as the sun was rising and nothing was eating her.

Sitting up, she breathed deeply, rubbing her chest in a soothing manner to clam herself. She was just telling herself that it was only a nightmare and that nothing was going to eat her in the near future when her door slammed open, frightening her for the second time in three minutes.

'Good morn- oh you're awake.'

Riku turned to face her sister. Risa always delighted in pouncing on her twin and shaking her violently to wake Riku up as Risa was _always_ the early riser while strangely, it was Riku who had the morning practices.

Wide awake, Risa smiled at her slightly bewildered twin and continued, 'Come on, you're going to be late for training!'

Riku nodded mutely, trying to remember the events of the night before, as it seemed pretty important to her. 'By the way, Riku,' Risa said, 'were you talking to yourself last night? I knew you obsessed about tests but I didn't know it was…'

Riku had tuned her sister out after the question. The events from last night became startlingly clear as her mind refreshed its memory.

Dark Mousy on her shoulder. Licking. Sucking.

'Oh man!' she yelped, her head reeling as the full impact of what she did last night slammed into her. She didn't really need such a terrible mental image in her head so early in the morning! 'Ugh,' she muttered as she remembered something else equally unpleasant- her Math test.

Risa stared at her sister curiously. 'Are you alright?'

Riku was moaning and clutching her head as though she had a massive migraine. 'No, of course not-' she was going to say but then she stopped herself. Wasn't this supposed to be a secret or something? Thinking quickly, she finished, 'I forgot to study for the Math test!'

Risa laughed, accepting her sister's excuse. 'Nonsense. When I passed your room last night, you were muttering in your sleep. You'll be fine. You obsess too much anyway…'

Riku smiled at her weakly. If only her sister knew… Taking a deep breath, she flung her blankets off and walked to the bathroom, while Risa followed, still slightly concerned for her sister.

'Are you sure you're alright?' Risa asked again, when Riku began washing her face vigorously, hoping to get rid of the terrible image from last night. As Riku moved to take her toothbrush, she noticed that her shoulder stung slightly. Which mean it wasn't a dream at all…

But she had to be sure. One last check. 'Risa, could you go to out to the balcony and check if my Math textbook is outside?'

If Risa found the request odd, she never mentioned it but went out obediently to check. She found the book, closed and placed neatly on the stone railing. But then she found something else too.

Riku was brushing her teeth carefully over the basin when she heard her sister's strangled cry, outside in the balcony.

Rushing out of the bathroom, with her toothbrush still in her mouth and flecking toothpaste foam all over, she ran towards the balcony to check what had frightened her sister.

By her Math textbook, there was a blood red rose on it, and a glossy black feather.

-/-

To say that Riku was angry would have been a massive understatement. She was furious, she was fuming; she was _apoplectic_.

She had snatched the items away from her sister before Risa could touch them and placed them in a drawer. She ignored all of Risa's pestering about the sender of the gifts. She told Risa repeatedly and bluntly that she didn't know who had sent them and it was blessed relief to get away from her sister, seeing that they went to school using different modes of transport. Still, the trip to school was a busy one, as she was quite occupied with thinking up of new ways to kill Dark the moment he stepped into her room again that night.

Oh yes, she knew it was Dark. She knew that obnoxious jerk well enough to know that he sent the rose, and he would come over again just to check on her, just to see her reaction to his gift. Only he would be this theatrical, this dramatic and this presumptuous to send her a _rose_.

And she despised him completely for it.

She was thinking of find a wooden stake and some holy water when someone else interrupted her thoughts.

'Hey Riku!'

Riku turned and saw Daisuke running to after her. She showed her cycling speed and dismounted, waiting until he caught up with her. He was panting slightly, and they began walking to school together, talking as they did so.

'Are you alright?' Daisuke began, slightly exasperated. 'I was calling you so many times from across the street and once while running after you and you never noticed!'

Riku laughed nervously. She knew why- she was too busy hanging drawing and quartering Dark in her head that she never heard anything. 'I'm sorry… I was too busy thinking about the Math test…'

Daisuke gave her an odd look. 'Are you sure? You looked more angry than anxious to me…'

Damn all best friends who knew you better that you did…

'Re-really? Maybe-maybe because I didn't study much…?' Riku replied, thinking quickly.

'Worried about Dark?' he asked suddenly.

Riku bit her lip and turned away from Daisuke's understanding eyes. She was caught- should she tell Daisuke everything or just agree with him?' Blinking hard, she kept silent, thinking.

Finally, she sighed. 'Yes. It's my fault after all…'

Daisuke smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

'Don't worry, we don't blame you. I don't blame you, Risa probably has it out of her head already, and Dark-'

He stopped, having noticed an involuntary spasm of pain flitting through Riku's face as a tongue of fire flowed through her left shoulder. Daisuke gripped her left shoulder harder in concern, which increased the pain.

'Ow!' she yelped, pushing Daisuke's hand off instinctively. Now he was completely nonplussed.

'Riku? What's the matter?' he asked, grabbing her arms in an authoritative manner. 'Riku, did you-'

'No, you idiot,' Riku muttered, massaging her shoulder ruefully. 'Nothing of that sort. I won't kill myself just because Dark's missing, you know. He isn't worth it.'

Daisuke laughed shortly before pouncing on her shoulder, lifting her collar to check.

Riku jumped as though she had received an electric shock. He just lifted her uniform! What the-

'Daisuke!' she exclaimed shakily, flushing. 'What are you doing? I am a girl, for goodness sake!'

Daisuke had seen her bandages on her shoulder. His face was solemn and he wasn't blushing at all, like he didn't care that he had lifted her collar or that Riku was a blushing mass of flesh in front of him; all she saw through her haze of embarrassment was firmness, something she had never seen before in all the years she had known him.

A very small part of her noticed just how delicious he looked right at that moment.

However that thought vanished as soon as Daisuke spoke.

'What happened?' he asked seriously.

Riku gulped before going for the offensive approach.

'Daisuke, you're hurting me!' she yelped, twisting to remove herself from his iron grasp, and hopefully distract him from the question.

It worked; Daisuke seemed to remember himself at that moment, and released her arm so quickly that it was as though he had been burned. He flushed hotly, scratching the back of his head in an apologetic manner.

'I'm- I'm sorry if I've hurt you…' he murmured with a blush. 'I… I just got so angry… and worried… that someone had hurt… hurt you, Riku.' He blushed even deeper, his face complimenting his hair, and his eyes averted down to his shoes, examining them earnestly.

Riku stared at her best friend. He was concerned about her? What did that mean?

'You were… worried?' she repeated stupidly. Daisuke blushed again.

'It's not very important now, Riku,' Daisuke replied quickly. 'What happened to you anyway?' he asked again, changing the topic.

Now it was Riku's turn to blush and panic, as she remembered exactly _how_ she got her wound. Daisuke stared at her curiously.

'It isn't anything to be embarrassed about, you know…?' he prompted gently when he didn't get an answer from her. He was curious too, as to how anyone could injure their shoulder, at such a difficult-to-reach position too- at the blade, near the neck.

'Err…' Riku supplied helpfully. Daisuke frowned, and began to guess the maker of the wound.

'Did you get bitten?' he asked sharply.

Uh oh. 'Bitten?' Riku repeated in a high voice, an obvious sign that she was cornered. 'I- I- I didn't get bitten!' her hands rising protectively in front of her, while her mind raced frantically.

'Then?' Daisuke asked, moving closer as he tried to examine the wound again.

'Err…' Riku was beginning to sweat slightly. Her brain gave up on her and she sighed dejectedly. 'Yes… I got bitten…'

But that led right to the next problem. Daisuke's righteous anger vanished but was replaced by something marginally worst: concern.

'By what?'

Riku flicked her eyes around anxiously. Daisuke was staring at her. She couldn't think of any animals that could bite her at such a position… the pressure was too much… then finally, as a last, desperate attempt to throw him off, she finally settled on what she felt would be the most likely scapegoat.

'Bedbugs!' she practically yelled into his face.

Daisuke blinked. She stared back, her heart pumping crazily, her mind willing him to believe, her pulse racing… would he believe it?

'Bedbugs,' he repeated softly, looking slightly disappointed, practically deflating before her eyes.

'Yes. Bedbugs,' Riku repeated firmly, even though her mind was screaming at her for lying.

'But bedbugs-' Daisuke began to counter, his own mind slowly putting together what she just said.

However Riku was already on her bicycle and cycling away fast.

'I'm sorry Daisuke, my training's already started and I'm late! Talk to you later!' she called over her shoulder, speeding up. She hated herself for doing this… it was disgusting, it was vile… It was like being betrayed, her mind screamed.

But still she kept cycling. She would do anything now. Anything to get away from him.

Anything to stop lying to Daisuke.

'But bedbugs leave welts and they itch… and you look like you got cut…' Daisuke finished softly to himself, staring at Riku's retreating back.

Riku was lying. Riku never had reason to lie to him. Ever.

-/-

Riku's face was set as she cycled determinedly to school but inside, she wanted to cry. She didn't want to lie, but she had to!

Dark wouldn't want his cousin to know that he had been taken right? Besides, Daisuke would be devastated to know that Dark had been… changed, he was Dark's closest cousin after all; and a small side of her didn't want him to blame her…

But he deserved to know, another stronger side of her countered. He's Dark's closest relative for miles!

How would he have reacted then, she asked herself fiercely. He would have blamed her, blamed her for harming his cousin!

Turning him into a vampire, a creature who lived at other's expense... A parasite, her mind suddenly thought.

No, she shook her head. She won't tell him. Yet.

For what Daisuke didn't know couldn't kill him… right?

-/-

It was fifteen minutes to nine in the night, when Riku emerged form the bathroom, her hair with water and her body encased in only a towel. She was irritated; school had not gone well, as Daisuke was only coldly civil to her and she felt that she didn't do well in the test, and now she had realized that she had forgotten to bring her undergarments into the bathroom with her. If not, she would have been changing in the warmth of her bathroom instead of creeping along the cold corridors and into her room, freezing cold- her body popping out in goose bumps, used to the bathroom's warmth.

And she knew just _who_ to put the blame on.

'Stupid Dark Mousy…' she muttered absentmindedly. Without him, she wouldn't have had to lie to Daisuke, without him, she wouldn't have failed her paper (well she thought she was going to fail anyway), without him, she wouldn't have forgotten her undies, without him…

Reaching her room, she began rummaging through her fair-sized cupboard, muttering silent curses at her memory, and that she was never a very neat person. Just as she found the elusive piece of lingerie however, a low whistle nearly made her drop it again in surprise.

'Looking good, are we?'

She whipped around, startled, clutching her towel around her protectively. Creeping behind her cupboard door, she peered around anxiously, hoping to find the intruder.

'Who're you?' she yelped based on general principles, her toe inching to the door-

-Which closed slowly of its own accord. Cursing fluently, Riku yelled, 'I'll scream, I'm warning you!'

'Really,' the voice answered in an amused manner. Riku growled in response. She knew whose voice it was now.

'Dark Mousy, you better have had your eyes closed!' she hissed, looking around. Where was he…?

'Awww and miss the great view?' the voice replied jovially, clearly enjoying the conversation… and her too.

That was the last straw.

Grabbing a pillow, she flung it at where the voice was coming from, behind the gossamer curtains of her balcony.

She was rewarded with a solid thud and an exclamation.

'Ow! Okay! Sheesh! You drive a hard bargain, woman!' the voice complained and Dark Mousy emerged, looking hurt.

'Turn! Now!' Riku hissed, still hiding behind the cupboard door. 'Or there'll be anther pillow in your face!'

'Geez… Dark pouted, turning around nonetheless and settling himself down so that he could see the night sky.

'No peeking!' Riku repeated, finally feeling that it was safe enough to leave the sanctuary of her cupboard door. Opening the door of her room, she escaped into the relative warmth of her bathroom to change.

Damn Dark and his impeccable timing! She thought vengefully as she pulled on her shirt and pants. She was going to have to schedule his appearances… or else Risa would see something she wasn't supposed to see.

Speaking of Risa… Riku wondered what she was doing now.

She was putting the bottle of shampoo and other miscellaneous items back in their original places when a shrill cry broke the silence, sending Riku hurtling out of the bathroom for the second time in ten minutes that night.

With a sense of foreboding doom, she realized that it was from her room, and in her haste, nearly missed the entrance of it. Twisting herself to face her room entrance, she saw Risa cowering at the side of the doorway, her hands covering her face. She was nearly hysterical, and when she saw that Riku was standing by her, she immediately ran towards her, grabbing Riku's sleeve and shrinking behind her, all the while gibbering incoherently. Riku was completely puzzled. Her room was dark. Wait a minute, where _was_ Dark?

'Risa? Risa? What's wrong?' she asked, putting her arms on her sister's shoulders.

Risa was only shivering and her eyes were wide. She shook her head fearfully, unable to speak.

Unable to get a decent answer, Riku sighed and flicked the switch of the light in her room. Risa gave another resounding shriek and even Riku got an unpleasant shock when she saw what was in her room.

It wasn't Dark. It wasn't even another rose or feather.

-/-

It was a _bat_. A huge slightly purplish-looking bat.

Riku rolled her eyes. Having researched much on vampires during her search for a cure for the Window of Opportunity in case something like Dark's problem happened, she had read of this. Three guesses for who the bat really was, and Risa gibbering didn't count, Riku thought dryly.

'Risa, it's just a bat,' Riku told her sister in a comforting tone, patting her shoulder.

Risa whimpered, still hiding behind her sister. 'It- it just swooped in when I switched the lights on and it scared me…' Now the bat was hanging at her balcony frame, squeaking, in Riku's opinion, in an indignant tone. She took a deep breath, ready for more words of comfort. However Risa's next sentences flushed all words of comfort out of her mind.

'You know what bats are associated with!' Risa continued fiercely through her tears. 'Vampires! And I hate vampires!'

Riku shot a glance at the bat. It had stopped squeaking now. She sighed again. Time for some damage control.

'Look… Risa… that time was that. It's over. You're human. We got out safely, remember?' she began slowly. Looking at the bat, she continued, 'That bat is just a normal bat. It... It came here a couple of days ago, during a storm late at night, while you were sleeping. It looked really pathetic and needed shelter, so I just allowed it to stay.' When Risa didn't look convinced, Riku continued hastily. 'It's been coming back ever since but it's harmless! Really! Look at me, nothing's happened to me right?'

Risa blinked slowly, thinking about it. Then she laughed nervously, clearing her eyes of tears. 'I- I guess you're right. I'm sorry, I just freaked… it was just…' she gulped.

Riku placed her arm around her sister soothingly. 'I understand. It's alright. It's over. Go back to your room, okay?'

Risa nodded, then in a surprising move, turned to the bat. 'Sorry Mr. Bat!' she replied cheerfully. Riku blanched.

'What makes you so sure it's a male?' Risa winked, slightly scaring her sister.

'No decent female bat will seek shelter with us you know… We look good, and we, well I, know it.' She dropped her voice. 'And it's probably a pervert too.'

'Risa! Riku gasped, shocked. 'How could you say such a thing? It's just a bat! An innocent creature!'

Risa shrugged and smiled. 'You may never know,' she smirked, winking again and putting her finger to her nose, before walking towards the door. She shot a wary glance at the bat, which was watching her beadily, and shivered slightly. However Risa grinned and turned to her sister. 'It looks really tame too, Riku, did you do something to it?'

Riku couldn't understand her sister's weird ideas. 'What? No! Risa!' she raged.

Risa was nearly out of the room when she stopped again. Leaning back in, she asked, 'Was this what you were talking to last night?'

Riku was busy trying to shove her twin out of her room, so it took a while before the question to sink in. 'Eh? Oh, err… yeah!' she answered, grinning sheepishly. Dark was the bat right… so it counted, right…

Risa looked at her in a knowing manner. 'And Riku the Charmer strikes again.'

'Yeah whatever. Out!' Riku yelled, pointing to the door angrily, unable to take anymore of her sister's nonsense. When Risa finally left, smiling mysteriously to herself, Riku leant on the door with a sigh, and flicked the light switched off.

She looked up. 'Sorry about-'

However, she never finished her sentence. For as soon as Risa was out of the door and the switch was turned off, Dark had reverted back to his human form and pulled her into a tight embrace, enveloping her in his arms, whispering his gratefulness fervently.

'Thank you,' he repeated over and over again, 'Thank you so much…'

When Risa entered the room, Dark had panicked and his vampire instincts took over, changing him into a bat. He had flown around squeaking for he had absolute no idea what to do with Risa having hysterics outside the room. Then Riku had arrived, and Risa had said… those words.

The words that meant that he could probably never return to his family or friends.

But Riku… she had arrived like a nurse, and she had just said her words, explaining his presence. And though he knew they were all fabrications, they healed, in a way, and buoyed him up; saving him from drowning and losing himself in a depth so deep that he would never find the end.

He closed his eyes and smiled. Riku had squirmed slightly, and he adjusted his arms around her shoulder, resting his chin on Riku's head.

Riku, on the other end, was blushing furiously. Why did he hug her? She just said something that was logical and general, albeit it was all a lie… besides she only defended a large, and not to mention innocent, percentage of the bat population, which had nothing to do with bloodsuckers, from Risa's generalized comments. It didn't deserve a _hug_.

With that thought, she pushed him away, gently but firmly.

'Risa was right,' Riku replied matter-of-factly as she walked towards her bed. 'You _are_ a pervert.'

Dark, leaning on the door, grinned sheepishly and then shrugged. 'Thank you. I never claimed to be _innocent_ anyway.'

-/-

'Dark, you smell.'

It was about half an hour later. Riku was sitting on her bed, massaging her temples in a long-suffering way while Dark sat not far from her on a chair. Both had resolved subconsciously to keep their distance from each other now, especially after the hug, where Risa had unwittingly burst open the door again, only to find a very shocked Riku lying on her bed with her now-notorious bat sprawled on her face.

There was a very short, stunned moment and Risa flicked the lights on again.

Then everything exploded at once: Risa's triumphant cry of 'Ah-ha!'; Riku's yelp at having a very furry object squeaking on her face _and_ at being discovered by her sister, the bat's panicking squeaks and to top it all off, a crash from the far-off kitchen.

Two identical heads popped out of the room in surprise, one carrying a much disorientated bat on her head.

'Are you alright?' the identical pair of heads yelled in concern.

There was a loud grunt. Both took it as a 'yes'. Their butler, though kind, hated it when they went into the kitchen, believing that they were both clueless girls when it came to household activities.

Thus they both retreated back into Riku's room, the bat still clinging onto Riku's head rather painfully while Risa teased her sister mercilessly for being a 'Charmer'. However, Dark apparently remembered his position and took off from Riku's head after a while, flying to his favourite perch so far, at the balcony frame. Riku endured another five minutes of a 'losing your charm' lecture before asking her sister very politely what the hell she wanted.

Risa was about to start another tirade on how that tone wasn't going to improve her charms on the bat when she noticed Riku's expression and her speech petered out into a very tiny request for Riku's notes during the Chemistry lesson that day, as she wasn't paying attention.

Said notes were then thrown into her face and Risa was out of the doorway and left standing in the corridor in front of a closed door before she could even say 'Thank you'.

Risa 'hmphed' angrily. 'Well, thank you! Don't let me interrupt your precious time with your precious bat!'

'He's not my precious bat!' Riku yelled back, completely forgetting that Dark was listening to every word they were yelling.

'Hah! You've admitted it! It's a guy!'

'Risa!'

'Just because you couldn't get together with any guy in school, doesn't mean you go after animals! And a bat too!'

'Risa! Take that back!'

There was no reply; only a door slamming loud enough to shake the house's foundations.

Riku leant against the door, her energy spent. Letting her breath out in a whoosh, she turned towards her bed and fell onto it, squashing a very surprised bat. Dark, who had enough of perching upside down, had actually crawled onto the bed and was subsequently flattened by Riku.

Getting up on her elbows quickly, Riku apologized noncommittally to a now-human Dark, who was massaging his shoulders ruefully, before turning away from him on her bed.

Sitting up on the bed, Dark's playful tone, meant to clear his Keeper up after the argument, died in his throat as he switched off the lights.

Riku was curled up on the bed in a fetal position, her hands hiding her face.

'Riku…' he said softly, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off almost fiercely, wiping her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. Sitting up hastily, she tried to smile at him, to tell him that it was alright… before she noticed the smell.

Dark, lounging on her chair, grinned apologetic. 'Sorry… it's been almost four days…'

Riku winced.

'And you could stand it?' she glared, before coming to another conclusion. 'Not only am I your Keeper, I'm your _babysitter_ as well!' she hissed.

Dark shrugged again, giving her another one of his innocent looks.

Pinning him with an impatient look, she turned to her cupboard to see what she could salvage for a much-taller and male vampire. Dark only sat there slightly unnerved, as Riku's looks of impatience had been bred to perfection, a result of taking care of Risa for her entire life. Going on holidays or outings, Risa had a memory like a sieve, which let the important details slip away while retaining nonsense. Riku had then resigned herself to the fate of being her sister's babysitter.

Grumbling to herself, Riku finally located a large shirt and a pair of cargo pants that she never had a chance to wear as they were too long for her, brought by an errant aunt who was a little hard of hearing, thinking that the Haradas had a girl and a boy.

'I don't have briefs,' she said shortly. 'The bathroom's down the hall, third door on the right. I'm sure you can read in the dark too.'

Dark stared at her as she sat down on her bed again, her face red as though she had just finished a race. She was frowning; he noticed that he had this kind of effect on her. However one other thing he noticed was that her tone and appearance all displayed the glaring fact that she absolutely hated him sitting there on the chair and would love to hurl him bodily out into the street but she was just sitting there, tossing him clothes to wear and even directing him to the bathroom! He _had_ chosen an excellent Keeper.

'I love you, Riku,' he smiled tenderly as he sauntered past her towards the bathroom.

'Yeah, I hate you too,' Riku snapped back, looking away to hide her blush. He could see it however, and he smiled wider. So he was affecting her…

Feeling much more at peace with the world in general, he entered the bathroom and was about to close the door when Riku slipped in with him. Greatly amused, he closed the door, watching her fidget beside him. She was clearly very uncomfortable about this and he couldn't resist teasing her further. 'Couldn't resist peeking?'

Riku glared at him again, clearly not in the mood for his jokes. 'Don't be stupid, this is to give you an excuse to make sounds. Everyone will think it's me.'

Dark nodded in agreement, placing the clothes on the rack and reaching for a fluffy white towel. 'Smart girl. I see you're learning and there are, of course, benefits…' he grinned, beginning to lift his shirt. Riku yelped and turned away from him with a blush tinting her cheeks again, her eyes squeezed shut.

'Get in the shower, close the door, then I'll open my eyes!' she whispered angrily, her voice rising to a squeak. Dark shrugged to himself as he waltzed into the bathroom itself, humming to himself. Outwardly he behaved as though he had done this plenty of times before but inwardly, he was extremely nervous and excited. He was going to use her bathroom. He was going to use the items she used. He was going to wear her clothes. It was amazing how her mere action of lending him clothes could make him feel this high and breathless. If a priest appeared right now, ready to banish him, he was going to beg for this bath, give his word and sign his name in blood, anything just for this one bath. And even if the priest did vanquish him later, Dark felt that he would still die a happy vampire.

He'd only be sorry that Riku had to lose her clothes so quickly after lending them to him.

He switched the shower on and let out a sigh of happiness and relief as he felt the water washing off the dirt he had accumulated over the past few days. As he cleaned himself, his mind began to think back on what Riku had done for him, and he grinned like a child who had found a candy store.

It was _so_ obvious that she liked him, he laughed inwardly. Now if he could just convince her of it.

However, with his mind wandering elsewhere, it was inevitable that he was going to forget himself and the humming soon grew louder and louder, until Riku shushed him hurriedly.

'Sorry, love,' he said automatically, rubbing his shoulder with soap.

'I am not _your_ love,' Riku snapped back, her eyes still on the bathroom door.

'Sorry love,' he repeated again, knowing that it would annoy her.

There was only an impatient sound, and he grinned to himself. One to Dark for tonight then…

-/-

'No, see the determinant is obtained when you use this formula… here, I'll write it for you… didn't you have a test on this today…'

'I _know_. And I think I'm going to fail that test…' Riku ground out.

'What makes you think you're going to fail? With Dark Mousy around as your tutor, you can't fail!'

'Watch me.'

'Then it's your inability to learn, Riku dear,' Dark smirked. Riku gave him another glare.

'It was one in the morning! How was I supposed to learn anything?' Riku spat back. 'And don't lean over me like that; the water from your hair will get my worksheet wet!'

The Keeper and Dark were currently huddled over Riku's desk, arguing over how to do a sum correctly. Riku was doing just fine until Dark appeared, having finished his bath, toweling his hair slowly. He was dressed in what she gave him, Riku having finally gotten the courage to steal a pair of briefs from her father's closet.

'But I like leaning over you like that. You smell nice,' he ended innocently. Riku flinched.

'Go away. You can help but don't get so close!'

'Why?' he asked, sitting on her bed. The small lamp by her table was still much too bright for him.

'Because…' Riku gulped. Why? 'Errr…'

Dark broke into a lazy grin. Riku frowned. He was grinning! That was bad.

'Well… I feel uncomfortable!'

'But I'm such a nice guy!'

Riku snorted.

'Right. A nice guy that sucks my blood.'

Dark's smile faded. 'Oh.'

Noticing his sudden sullenness, Riku panicked.

'Look, I don't mean it that way! It's just that… well… I'm sorry! I've been so used to retaliating with whatever that comes into my head… and I really don't mean it that way! I don't mind you as a vampire! Really! It's my fault anyway that you're one! So… blame me!' Riku blurted out suddenly.

Dark's face was still unreadable. Thinking frantically, she continued, 'Look, it's my entire fault… so you can ask me to do anything! And… and I'll do it! Go on, you can scold me too!'

She shut her eyes, waiting for his rage to spill over.

'Haven't I done that already?' he said slowly, at last.

She opened her eyes. 'What?'

'Haven't I asked you to do something for me already?'

'What?'

Dark smiled. 'Riku… my dear, beloved Keeper… if you were this dumb everyday, I'd get a pair of sunglasses and enjoy a sunbath.'

Riku blinked.

Then she realized what he had just said.

'Oh…'

'But then again, I wouldn't mind a…' Dark continued, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

'Forget it,' Riku muttered, recognizing that expression. She turned back to her homework. But then she remembered something.

'Dark?'

Dark, who had been lying on her bed, basking in the warmth of what she said, grunted in reply.

'Are you going to tell Daisuke?'

There was a short pause.

'I… I don't know.'

'He asked about you today,' Riku continued timidly.

'What did you say?' There was something constricting his throat. Did she tell…?

'That I didn't know.'

Another short pause. 'Thank you.'

'But we have to tell him soon. I barely could keep it from him.' How could she say it? The look in his eyes, the expression on his face, the feeling that he could help them, if he knew, but if Dark didn't want anyone to-

'I understand. You're right…' Dark sat up, his eyes hard. 'He deserves to know.'

'Are you sure?'

He looked down. 'Yes.' Then he looked up again. 'Besides,' he smiled. 'Isn't it better if more people know? Then they would be wary of me… and that would prevent me from harming them.'

'Daisuke isn't like that…'

'But I don't want him to become like me either…'

Riku fell silent. She knew why he was acting this way.

He blamed himself too.

Sighing to herself, she felt that she had to say something to make him feel better.

'You know… Dark?' she began softly, leaning back on the chair. 'You're actually a really nice guy.'

Though Riku couldn't see it, Dark flushed. A compliment!

'Re-really?' he squeaked. One side wanted to hug her, another wanted to turn bat and fly around happily. Oh _man_… when was the last time he felt so lost?

'Yeah. So when do you want to tell him?'

Dark sat back on her bed with a manic grin on his face, all caution forgotten. 'Tomorrow.'

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Heka: Yes! Yes! After much procrastination-

Dark: All intention with no action, just means procrastination-

Heka: Yes, thank you-

Dark: I GOT A BATH!

Shigure: He sounds like a hyperactive dog.

Heka: Hello? Theme of the story?

Shigure: Ah. Keeper and pet.

Dark: I'm no dog!

Shigure: Hellsing…

Heka: You know about Hellsing?

Shigure: I read what you write…

Dark: What's Hellsing?

Heka: Doesn't really matter here. I'm such a nice author right? I got it out on Valentine's Day for all of you…

Shigure: You're just lazy.

Dark: I got a bath, I got to wear her clothes and she told me I was nice!

Heka: The next chapter, they tell Daisuke! And if anyone was wondering how Dark got onto Riku's face, it was when Risa burst the door open and Dark got pushed off the door. He didn't know where to hide and what to do, so he became bat and landed on Riku's face! Haha.

Shigure: I want to see _his_ face.

Heka: Please review! I'm sorry I made all of you wait! As a special, I'll give you a whole boxful of chocolates to make it up to you!


	3. Chapter 3: Completely Batty

Heka: Whoooa! After getting this terribly cool dream about The Keeper, yes I dream about my stories, I have been inspired to write more! Actually all the stuff I dream about probably happens after this chapter but when I get this chapter out, I'll be able to continue on the rest of the chapters then, and finally get onto the really awesome-sounding climax. Wa hahaha.

Shigure: Really awesome-sounding climax…? She must be really hyper.

Dark: Kiss!

Heka: Sssshh! Don't ruin the moment! Don't be evil.

Shigure: There's going to be kissing?

Dark, Heka: Really?

Heka: Wow, Shigure… you're _good_…

Shigure: What? What? What did I do?

Heka: He made a prediction!

Shigure: What? What! No I didn't-

Dark: And as the All-Mighty Author, you've got to make his prediction come true!

Shigure: What? I was just repeating what you said!

Heka: Yess…. I feel the presence… the power…

Shigure: …

Dark: Go Heka!

Heka: Auuummmm….

Shigure: I give up.

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Riku played with her pen absentmindedly. She was back in class, the next day, apparently listening to the Math teacher describing how functions work. What she was really doing was actually thinking how to get Daisuke to come to her room at ten in the night, without making it look scandalous, suspicious, or any other word that started with the letter 's' and sounded bad.

She frowned. Yesterday, Dark hadn't said much as he lay on her bed, looking at some far off place she couldn't see with her own eyes. Then as she readied herself for bed, he had smiled a small smile, kissed her forehead and bid her goodnight, before leaping off her balcony and disappearing into the night.

Vampires are temperamental creatures, Riku reminded herself peevishly before concentrating on her work again.

She stole a glance at Daisuke. He was working hard, blatantly ignoring her, his face set in a tiny frown as he tried to understand what the teacher had been saying.

She blew her hair out of her face and sighed.

She had to wait then…

-/-

Riku looked around breathlessly. Where was he? There were only so many places to hide in a school… Damn it.

She poked her head out of the classroom, after the bell had rung, signalling the end of the lesson. She hadn't seen Daisuke when the lesson had finished, and now she was regretting that decision. She cursed herself inwardly.

'Hey, Harada!'

She ignored that call. It was Saehara, and he could be calling her sister, who was always on the lookout for scandalous news.

'Hey, _Harada_!'

Sister…

'HARADA!'

'What?' she hissed, turning around angrily, to face a very surprised looking Saehara.

'What's your problem, man?'

'Nothing… what?' Riku muttered, massaging her temples. 'Just had a late night last night…'

'Right… Just wanted to ask you, whether you'd like to switch with me for clean-up duties today? I'm kinda busy…' he finished sheepishly.

'Yeah,' Riku said dryly. 'Busy looking out for that new girl at the florist, what's her name… May?'

'It's Mio!'

'Right… and the answer's no.'

'Why?'

'Because I don't like slackers like you. Anyway, have you seen Daisuke?'

Saehara narrowed his eyes conspiratorially. Riku recognised that look. It was the same look Dark had before he did something perverted and stupid.

_Crap_.

'I'll tell you if you switch with me…' he grinned suggestively.

'I'll punch your lights out if you don't…' Riku grinned back just as suggestively. He was much taller than her now, being sixteen, but Riku could still throw a mean left hook.

'I saw him running up the stairwell, towards the roof,' a soft voice replied of out the blue.

Riku and Saehara turned. Hiwatari Satoshi stood a few feet away, leaning on the wall, giving the pair a slightly amused look.

Saehara's face collapsed.

'Thanks Hiwatari!'

Satoshi shrugged, playing along for once. 'No problem, Saehara.'

Riku continued staring at Hiwatari as Saehara stormed off, probably to look for another naïve victim. Two years ago, she wouldn't even have noticed him, only as a quiet pretty boy whom all the girls in her class absolutely loved. However, as she looked at him again now, she finally understood why most of the girls in class were crazy about him.

He had developed well indeed, into an exceptionally tall teenager, though not quite as tall as Dark yet. His blue hair was still as neatly cropped as ever but it looked as smooth as silk, gleaming in the morning sunlight.

He was rather breathtaking… if Riku went for that kind of boys anyway. She still hadn't figured out what kind of person she was looking far, and it had been one of the sore points which Risa always used when teasing her sister.

'Why did you tell me?'

Satoshi blinked. Not really the kind of question he expected.

'Well. You and Niwa are best friends. And when both of you aren't seen together talking like usual, one is bound to notice.'

Riku flushed. She didn't know Daisuke's cold treatment to her had been _that_ obvious.

'Besides, even though I don't talk much, doesn't mean I'm blind. And I'm not all evil, you know…' he added with a small smirk. Riku laughed.

'Okay… thanks!' she smiled, giving him a wave before sprinting off to the roof, disappearing up a staircase.

Satoshi's eyes remained at the point where Riku disappeared. Besides, he added inwardly, he didn't like to see Daisuke upset over anything.

-/-

Riku emerged on the roof, closing the door behind her softly. She didn't want to alarm Daisuke. He probably came here to relax and think.

She looked around nervously. He might not want her here.

Finally she noticed a patch of red contrasting starkly with the blinding whiteness of the roof, and approached it tentatively.

'You can sit down here beside me, Riku.' His soft smooth voice rang out clearly in their quiet surroundings.

Riku jumped violently. He knew she was here? Damn, he was good…

She approached him meekly and sat down beside him, flushing hotly.

'Daisuke, I-'

'I know, Riku. Care to tell me what's going on?' Daisuke asked; his voice still soft and calm but she could see the hurt in his eyes.

Riku sighed. 'I'm sorry, Daisuke… but… I know where Dark is.'

He stood up immediately. The anger in his eyes was blazing. Riku looked up fearfully. She had never been so afraid of her friend before.

'You knew…? And you didn't tell me?' he muttered quietly.

Riku pulled his hand. 'Wait! Don't go! I'm sorry! But I'm here to tell you! He wants to let you know!'

'He wants…?' Daisuke repeated. 'He's alive?'

Riku nodded. 'Please… let me explain!' she exclaimed.

Daisuke sat down again. Now his eyes were suspicious but there was a hint of curiosity in them.

'You've got a lot of explaining to do then…'

-/-

It was about fifteen minutes later. Riku had just finished telling Daisuke everything she could think of and that had to do with Dark.

'So. He's a vampire.'

'Yes,' Riku replied. She was just thinking how calmly Daisuke appeared to be taking everything when he leant back suddenly on the cement floor.

'He's a vampire,' Daisuke repeated.

'Yes…' Riku replied again, this time slightly more worried about Daisuke's sanity.

'Well… I was thinking about it for a while already… we were all bitten and he didn't know the time exactly for the Window of Opportunity… so it's quite obvious, that'd he'd be a vampire already…'

It was then Daisuke raised the inevitable question, which reminded Riku that she hadn't told him a rather important piece of information yet, that she was his Keeper.

'So, what's he feeding on?'

-/-

'Oi! Where were you two?' Saehara yelled loudly, as the pair of them appeared panting heavily at the entrance of the classroom, just as the bell rang. 'Doing something suspicious then…?' he continued, seeing that Daisuke had his hand clasped tightly around Riku's, a necessity as they were running along the corridors.

The class tittered softly, whispers running rampant.

Daisuke and Riku flushed. 'Nothing like that!' Daisuke exclaimed. 'We just didn't want to get separated!'

Riku smacked her head as the class exploded with laughter. Shouts like 'Way to go, Daisuke!' were heard, accompanied by more laughter.

'We were late! We didn't want to get lost!' Riku glared at everyone.

At least ten pairs of eyes narrowed.

Flushing again for a reason she couldn't understand, Riku put her hands out in an exasperated manner, and sat down on her seat in a huff.

However she couldn't concentrate. The subject concerned was English but after that talk with Daisuke, she felt that her brain that was previously so high-wired, was now only capable of doing the necessary things, which was breathing, keeping her eyes open, and preventing the overwhelming desire to drool from taking over.

Her mind slowly drifted back to the conversation on the rooftop. Daisuke had taken the news surprisingly well, she thought with a smile.

He was, however, _furious_ (for some unexplainable reason) upon finding out that she was his Keeper.

'What? You were feeding him all this while?' he thundered incredulously.

Riku gave him a tired look. 'I'm not stupid you know; he'll feed once a week only.'

'That explains the wound!'

'Yes… and that's why I couldn't tell you before…'

'Oh.' He sat down again. 'Okay.'

'So… are you coming over tonight?'

'… What?'

'He'll want to meet you…'

-/-

Thus it came to pass that at least six hours later; Dark and Riku were leaning over her balcony, both holding onto a piece of rope, pulling a very flustered Daisuke up from the first floor to her room.

'Are-are you sure it'd be fine?' he was asking very timidly, hanging onto the rope and spinning around gently while they pulled him up.

'Yes,' Dark called out easily beside her. 'Riku's very partial to people coming to her bedroom.'

This earned him a slap and the subsequent slipping of rope from both their hands caused Daisuke to drop a few feet.

'H-hey!' he called out nervously. The dropping stopped as both of them lunged to grab the rope again, Riku now encompassed uncomfortably by Dark's arms.

'Sorry!' Riku whispered piercingly into the night. Dark shushed her, still holding onto the rope.

'For one who's the most anxious about this, you're kind of loud…'

'Shut up, Dark,' she growled. Dark shrugged.

'Okay, move aside Riku. Vampire strength coming through.'

She moved out of his arms gratefully and watched in disbelief as he pulled Daisuke clean over the balcony rails with a massive tug.

Riku was stunned.

'If you could have done this _before_, why didn't you TELL me?' she hissed angrily, as Daisuke sat up on the cold cement, trying to regain his balance. 'Instead of me having to help you…'

Dark flashed a cheeky grin and shrugged. 'There were… benefits.'

Riku resisted the urge to slap him again and turned to help Daisuke up. He stood up unsteadily; his head still dizzy from the hit he got from slamming headfirst into the cement and groaned.

'Sorry Daisuke,' Dark apologised cheerfully, patting him on the head. Daisuke seemed to notice his presence for the first time, and enveloped the taller boy in a bear hug.

'Dark! You have no idea-' he yelled, his voice thankfully muffled by Dark's shirt. 'We've missed you! Especially Mom. She keeps moping around…'

Dark coughed. He wasn't used to family moments like this… his true family hadn't been around for years, until Daisuke made him come over to Azumano town then he had truly known family. Slightly embarrassed that Riku was watching, he pushed Daisuke away gently.

'I… I missed you too… Daisuke,' he said softly, patting Daisuke's head affectionately.

Riku twisted her hands. She felt awkward, being the only outsider in the meeting between the two cousins. As both boys turned towards her room, she quickly followed them.

'So… anything you'd want to know?' Dark asked Daisuke, walking at his left, while Riku walked at his right. Daisuke laughed.

'No… Riku told me everything already…' Daisuke laughed. 'But seriously, Dark, why couldn't you come to me? Or Mom?'

Dark laughed just as Riku turned to look at him anxiously.

'Well… I couldn't let you mother and you see me when I'm so dirty right?'

Riku laughed along with Daisuke, suppressing the one side of her that desired greatly to slap him. However she couldn't help but notice that Dark's eyes flickered when Daisuke looked away.

Then Dark noticed her gaze on him and smiled, winking at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Remembering her manners, she walked slightly faster and opened the balcony doors wider so that both boys could enter her room. Daisuke entered cautiously, apologising to her for disturbing her while Dark just headed straight for her bed before bouncing onto it. Daisuke and Riku took a chair respectively, just as Riku snipped at Dark for taking the bed ungraciously.

He just shrugged and grinned.

The trio spent some time talking about mundane school subjects, like how much homework they had now, with Daisuke and Riku tallying the amount of work they had while Dark laughed it off, telling them to come to him whenever they had problems.

'Ah,' he replied, smacking his right fist on his left palm, his face brightening. 'That reminds me. I need clothes.'

Riku and Daisuke both gave him a nonplussed look. He sighed.

'Daisuke lives in the place which contains all my clothes right?' Dark said slowly, annoying Riku to no end. 'So he can… bring… me… my… clothes… right?' he said even more slowly, waving his hands vaguely.

Riku lost her temper then and kicked him off her bed.

'We are not your servants! More so, Daisuke! He's your cousin!' she yelled, before Daisuke shushed her anxiously and voiced out another concern of his.

'Does Risa know?'

Riku shook her head slowly, curbing the temptation to kick Dark again. 'We never got to telling her. Besides she'd be so horribly traumatised… I don't want to make it worst.'

Daisuke nodded. 'Yeah… I remember she was still using quite a significant amount of garlic in her food during cookery class a few days ago.'

Riku squirmed inwardly but nodded her head. It was her fault after all, which made her sister so frightened.

'We'll just keep it from her now. Just yesterday she freaked out completely at the sight of a bat…'

'Dark…' Daisuke said warningly. Dark put his hands up defensively.

'I didn't do anything!'

'Right.'

'Honest!'

'Can we really trust him, Riku?' Daisuke asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

'Yes, well… I was there…'

'Exactly!'

'Dark… I can't really trust you around girls, you know…'

'I'm hurt!'

'Oh just grow up, you old bat,' Riku smirked.

Dark stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms in a huff and leant against Riku's bed. He uncrossed his arms and looked around for something to do, as Daisuke and Riku began to do their homework or, at least, attempt to.

They weren't very successful, for a while later, after some active foot-tapping from Dark, he discovered a deck of cards and proceeded to build a castle of cards, accompanied by several rather loud swear words.

-/-

Riku cleared her table, putting away her books and stacking her files neatly at the corner. She fiddled with the penknife she had taken out from the drawer and placed it reverently on the table.

It was exactly two weeks ago that she had first let Dark drink from her shoulder.

And it was coming to eleven in the night.

She looked anxiously at the clock. Dark could not be late. Dark was _never_ late. Especially on feeding day.

She took a deep breath. Okay, maybe it was just the nerves. She never got used to the feeding process anyway. Yes, Dark _did_ know when to stop now, to prevent her from bleeding to death but she could never shake off the odd feelings that she experienced whenever he had his tongue at her collar bone. It was warm yet cold, like something unfamiliar. However she felt that she could sense something she could connect with, in that feeling, even though it was completely alien to her.

She scratched her head and rocked on her chair.

You could always tell when Riku became nervous. Things around her _moved_. A pencil on the table would suddenly appear between her fingers, twirling so quickly that it was a mere blur. A well-oiled chair would soon discover its new squeaky voice only after several minutes with Riku. Her hair would change from a neat crop to a tousled look. Her fingers itched to hold or feel something, like reassuring her of her hold on reality.

Riku had cleared her table three times already.

And Dark wasn't here yet.

She adjusted her seat and checked the penknife again. Then she racked her brains to see if Dark mentioned anything about being late.

Yesterday… she racked her memory.

There was something on cookies. She distinctively remembered that. Her eyes strayed to an empty plastic box on her table.

Ah. Yesterday for cookery, the teacher got them to make cookies. She had brought some home for sampling and Dark had noticed the brightly decorated box. He had insisted on a try, even though she was telling him that there'd be no use as he wouldn't be able to feel full after eating them.

Dark took a deep breath and smiled slowly at her as he took out a cookie from the box.

'I still can taste food right?' He said quietly, smiling such a sad smile that it nearly broke her heart.

And she flushed. She had absolutely no idea why.

'Err… yes… I suppose you could.'

Dark then took a mouthful and proceeded to proclaim that they were the best cookies in the world. Riku could have slapped him, then she realised that he had polished off the whole box.

'Delicious,' he announced, licking his lips in a satisfied manner. Riku didn't know whether to blush or to slap him for his sheer insensitivity.

'Selfish jerk.'

'I heard that.'

They had spent the rest of the evening discussing seriously, for once, how to make cookies. Dark had been forced to watch Mrs. Niwa cook ever since he arrived at Riku's town so he had some experience in cooking. He had absolutely no idea why Mrs. Niwa had wanted him to watch her cook but at the not-so-obvious suggestions of her husband and father, his initial disagreements had petered out to muttered compliments.

Riku spun around on her chair.

Fifteen minutes had passed. And Dark since wasn't here yet.

She bit her lip and tapped her foot again. She reached out for her table and stopped herself. Any more arranging of her table and Risa was going to call her an obsessive compulsive freak.

Right.

_Right_.

She took another deep breath. If Dark wasn't coming in ten minutes, she was going to bed. And no amount of balcony banging was going to get her up again.

She switched off her light and crawled into bed.

Ten minutes later, she turned for the sixteenth time on her bed, and cursed all purple haired vampires for their impeccable sense of timing.

_Where the heck was he? _

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Heka: Dun dun duuuunn! This is so typical of me right! To make you guys wait so bloody long for the update then leave you on a cliffhanger!

Dark: Indeed she is All-Knowingly Evil.

Shigure: And this was uncharacteristically short.

Heka: I know…I was hard put trying to add more stuff in! Besides I have a Math test tomorrow, so this is like the calm before the storm!

Dark, Shigure: What?

Heka: I love your seiyuu. He did Koinosuke from Jubei-Chan The Ninja Girl too!

Dark, Shigure: Who?

Heka: And Byakuya…

Dark: We seem to have an appointment with him.

Heka: Means that I'm writing a Bleach story.

Shigure: Is he nice?

Heka: It depends. Anyway, the _interesting_ bits are coming up next! This should take about five to seven chapters in total.

Shigure: What will?

Heka: The Keeper!

Dark: Oh. That's really short.

Heka: You try writing it then.

Shigure: Now, now, children.

Heka: And please review! Tell me what you think of this, and err, any questions to ask our characters? I'm kind of bored of all the serious angst here and want to do an 'Ask Dark' Session!

Shigure: And Shigure too.

Heka: And Heka. Review and you get cookies!


	4. Chapter 4: As Blind As A Bat

(Edited some minor errors. No major changes.)

Heka: I HAVE NOT DIED. EVERYONE PLEASE NOTE THAT AND STOP SENDING THE 'CONDOLENCES' FLOWERS.

Shigure: Huh.

Heka: What? I have decided to begin on the fourth chapter! The most highly anticipated one. Ah haha.

Dark: She's really amazing when it comes to this sort of thing.

Shigure: Mmm.

Heka: And we have A QUESTION! For Dark, of course. It's from Dark-luver-forever, and she asks: How do you keep your hair the same all the time? It like defies gravity and it's always the most fabulous shade of violet.

Dark: Err-

Shigure: This effect can be achieved with much gel, sticks, hair dye and lots of lemons plus two bits of really long wire.

Dark: _No_. _It_ _can't_.

Shigure: Yes, it can. It can also be done using an electrical socket.

Dark: Are you suggesting that I _shock_ myself to get that hair?

Shigure: Well, yeah. Everyone does that.

Dark: Well I don't. What I use is-

Shigure: Not magic.

Dark: Is this question for me or you?

Shigure: It's an Ask Dark, Shigure and Heka section! Any one of us can answer!

Heka: I go with Shigure's answer! Dark, your answer is insubstantial. And as the majority votes for Shigure's answer, it shall be passed as Dark's answer! Yay!

Dark: Oh god. Please. Save me. Dark-luver-forever, please take note that _that_ is NOT my answer.

Heka: But she'll like our answer better. :D

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Dark rolled onto his back, groaned theatrically and shook his head slowly. The world was a mass of swirls and images. _What the hell…_ Knocked out at his age and species, he was really a disgrace to the entire race of vampires.

He felt disgusted at himself.

Then his muzzled mind wondered where that thought had come from. Dark was a very reluctant vampire, which meant that he still considered himself a human, who sucked blood, but still a human. Since when did he consider himself a vampire? And his head really hurt… Spinning… spinning… So not his day. Night. Whatever.

His vampire nature hissed at him and buried itself deeper in his subconscious, disgusted with its human side.

He remained on the hard ground, bringing his hand instinctively to his head as it stubbornly continued to spin. Focusing on his breathing, he eventually expanded out to the rest of his body, to check if every part of his body was alright. After all his limbs were present and accounted for - except for his back which felt a little ill abused, he slowly began to recount what happened the night before. It was supposed to be his night. It was feeding time; he was quite happy and very hungry, bounding along the rooftops towards Riku's house, very much inclined to whoop to the skies with foolish abandon and try doing triple loops while leaping into the air, which he discovered was one of the other (albeit useless) abilities which vampires with much free time could do.

It hadn't taken him that much time to deal with the fact that he was a vampire. Naturally forward looking, he had put his heart into discovering what his new found status as a vampire could do. He knew he had strength – he could bend many things easily, like a metal pipe and breaking concrete while gripping it too hard accidentally was a result of one of the _less_ violent experiments. Pulling Daisuke up Riku's balcony was easy compared to the other tests he had tried, just to stretch himself.

He expected the ability to jump and leap but the extent of the ability had escaped him. The first time he had tried leaping was from the ground to a ladder a few feet up while escaping from a rampaging drunkard. He had bent his knees and leaped, fully expecting to make the height easily.

What he hadn't expected was the fact that he would end up at the rooftop of the building, five storeys up, tripping over his own two feet. The feeling was exhilarating; the rush of air and the breathlessness of his speed made him eager to try his abilities again. That was just the beginning; he had leaped over most of the buildings of the city that night, pushing first his height, then his distance, moving to tricks and twirls when he grew confident of his skill as he made his way faithfully to Riku's room.

Soon he began to train himself hard - especially during the day when he was the most bored. Of course he took precautions and trained underground, finding the oddest places to do so, like sewers and basements when he could break into them. He always made it a point to lock the window which he entered from and ensure that nothing was disturbed during his time there to prevent any panic from the house owners. Then when it was evening time, he would begin to make his way to Riku's house, moving from ground level to rooftop level slowly, as the sky turned darker with every hour. He had planned to show her his skills rivalling a world-class circus acrobat and was leaping joyously across the rooftops when something hard and long slammed into the back of his head.

Naturally, he crumpled and fell into unconscious darkness even before he reached the ground.

At the memory, Dark sat up suddenly, which caused his recovering head to spin even more violently. He grasped his head instinctively and winced in pain, as he looked around apprehensively.

He stared, all pain forgotten.

_Okay_, maybe it was just a result of his head being banged and all. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again.

In all normal circumstances, when a person has been kidnapped, they would usually expect themselves to be in either a poorly lit room that is usually dirty and cramped, looking like it had not been used for at least a decade, or, in a more romantic sense (or for someone of the feminine persuasion), in a well furnished room with rich decorations and beautiful paintings and whatnot all over the room.

Fortunately for Dark, he was not in any one of those scenarios.

Unfortunately for him, he was in a plain but decent room. There were no windows in the room and the only door present had been locked and would not budge when he tested his strength against it. Turning around, he looked around the room again and noticed that there was a normal bed and a chair… and he had not woken up on the bed or the chair. He had been on the hard, cold floor.

He felt a sense of resentment surging against his captor.

However, what really made him stare was the person on the bed. Dark walked over and leaned down, to check the identity of the sleeper. At first glance, he had thought that it was Riku. At the second glance however, the darker brown, longer hair told him otherwise.

His feelings, which were originally rather buoyant at seeing the figure on the bed, deflated like a balloon.

'Damn,' he muttered. Someone was out to get him.

Risa was sleeping very soundly on the bed.

-/-

Riku, on the other hand, wasn't doing very well either. It was the weekend, and she had woken up late, having not slept very well the night before as a certain vampire friend of hers decided to not turn up for his weekly meal and it was decided unfair of him to do so, especially after she had specifically steeled herself for this only to discover that he was not coming.

Riku tended to ramble when she was worried about something… and when she was not willing to say that she was worried about said thing.

Giving a long sigh, Riku decided to go jogging and sketching in the park at the edge of their town to ease off her nerves, before working on her homework. It was all perfectly planned, and besides she had hoped to able to casually bump into a rather clumsy redhead, who had a habit of wandering around the park as well.

She had wanted to invite Risa along, as though Risa was a complete airhead at times and complained slightly too much about the heat, bugs, grass and everything in general but Riku was a nice twin sister after all, and felt that Risa deserved a day outside the house, especially after the argument they had a few weeks ago.

Then she had discovered that Risa had selfishly decided to get herself lost, which meant that Riku, as the older sister, would have to go and find her, as usual.

Such was her weekend.

Naturally, Riku lost most of her common sense to the ensuing panic, and proceeded to do the most logical thing (to her), which meant combing the streets for Risa. She told herself to keep calm and not worry too much, for Risa could have gone out earlier in the morning to dance in the dew or something. Risa would do that, she told herself. Risa was in that age where anything mystical and sounding just slightly magical would attract her, though she drew the line at vampires and haunted houses.

So dressed up in a simple shirt and a pair of three-quarter length pants, she took her jacket out and braved the weather for her sister. The newscaster in the morning had predicted a blustery day today and Riku didn't want to be caught off guard. Sure enough, the wind tousled her neatly combed hair within seconds of her leaving the house. Pulling the jacket closer to herself, she began to search the town systematically. First she would search in Risa's favourite areas, before spanning out to search the areas in between the aforementioned favourite areas, finally moving to areas Risa would least likely be found (for was it said that one would find things in the most unexpected places?) and the outskirts of town.

This plan was all ready in her head and she was just about to take her bicycle to cycle to the mall when a certain familiar redhead accosted her.

'Hi Riku!' Daisuke called out from across the street, his hair moving gently in the wind. He was waving his hand frantically, so that she would notice. Riku turned and waved back at him, waiting for him to approach her. 'Where're you going today?'

Riku only gave him a short smile. She needed to find Risa _now_. Her twin sister nerves were beginning to jangle badly.

'Risa's missing. She's not in her bed or at home. I'm going to look for her now.'

Daisuke stared. Not something you would want to tell your best friend so early on a Saturday morning, Riku mused wryly.

She turned and continued wheeling her bicycle out. Daisuke was cute and all, but if he was just going to stand there and stare, she'd best be going off now.

Daisuke blinked and recovered as Riku got onto her bicycle, ready to set off.

'Don't jump to conclusions yet – what if she's out somewhere?' he said quickly, grabbing her arm.

Riku felt a powerful jolt of electricity flow through her and blushed. She wondered briefly if he felt the same before she pushed down her stupid girly feelings strongly. Risa was _missing_.

'She'd tell me. She'd leave me a note, a message, anything. I'd know if she was out. She'd _tell me_.' Riku pulled her arm out of Daisuke's grip. 'Something's wrong. Don't ask me why. I _know_ something's wrong!'

She bit her lip after her last outburst. Daisuke did not deserve that. From the look on his face, he probably felt that it was not required as well.

His eyes went gentle instead. Riku could only think 'What the hell?' before Daisuke put his hand reassuringly on her shaking hands.

'I know you're worried and upset. I'll help you find her.'

Riku laughed in relief, knowing that if she didn't she was going to cry instead. He _understood_.

'Well, I'll find her first. And she better not be injured or anything, because I'm going to _kill_ her for making me worry!'

Daisuke shrugged, jogging beside her as they cycled to his house to get his bicycle. 'Well, if she's got such a scary sister, I wonder if she wants to be found at all.'

Riku resisted the temptation to lash out a leg. Instead she settled for saying, 'If you weren't helping me, I'd kick you.'

Daisuke winked. 'Good thing I'm helping you then.'

He put on a burst of speed and overtook her momentarily as they neared his house. Riku was left stunned in his wake. Daisuke did not wink. Dark did most of the winking and the flirting. But that wasn't what shocked her the most.

For she did not miss the way his face flushed after he said that last sentence.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and cycled harder to catch up with him, her mind buzzing on what she had just seen. Daisuke flushed _all_ the time. He was just naturally, and easily, embarrassed.

And damn, was he cute.

She shook her head harder. It was not what she was supposed to think! She knew that he was a little more partial to her sister – he called her Risa before he started calling her Riku – so Riku should let them be happy together –

It was amazing how badly that one thought had hurt.

She took another deep breath and watched as he wheeled his own bicycle out, waving goodbye to his mother. He liked Risa, that's why he was helping her. Besides, they were best friends! She didn't want to screw their relationship up just because he _flushed_ while reassuring her.

She caught sight of Mrs. Niwa waving jovially at her, and she waved back automatically in greeting. Daisuke was now walking up the pathway to meet her, wheeling his bicycle carefully. Riku noticed that he had a large parcel in his hands.

As he neared her, he thrust the parcel into her hands and leaned downwards, motioning her to do the same.

'I've finally packed up the last of Dark's clothing without my mother's notice. Pass them to him tonight. He's been complaining about not having enough clothes, hasn't he?' Daisuke whispered.

His comment reminded Riku of something which had been driven clear out of her mind when she had discovered that Risa was missing this morning.

Dark didn't come last night. On his feeding night too.

She considered telling this to Daisuke as she nodded in affirmation, putting the soft parcel in her bicycle basket. Two minds were greater than one right? Besides, there _were_ two people missing.

'Umm, Daisuke, I've got to tell you something.'

He turned to look at her. He had already gotten on his bicycle. 'Yes? What?'

'… Dark didn't come last night,' she said in a small voice. Great, it looked like she was worried about him. 'And…' she continued, looking down instinctively as she wasn't sure if she should tell him this as Daisuke might go ballistic, 'it was his feeding night too.'

Daisuke didn't respond immediately. Riku dared to look up.

'Daisuke?' she asked tentatively. He looked uncharacteristically deep in thought. It made his boyish face look… different.

'I was about to say that Dark can take care of himself-' Daisuke murmured slowly, as if processing it in his head. 'Yet, if it was feeding time, he wouldn't have missed it for the world. No vampire could.'

'He's been coming every night since he became a vampire,' Riku replied. 'He hasn't missed coming before – yesterday was the first time.' She slowly began to cycle. Daisuke did the same, his face never losing that concentrated look.

'Riku…' he replied slowly. 'No vampire will miss his feeding time. Especially Dark.'

Riku sighed and nodded. The amount of mad flirting she had to deal with every night was almost unbearable. She spent a few minutes musing on where he could have gone.

Come to think of it, she'd never ask him how he spent his days.

She was about to ask Daisuke whether she knew of his daytime habits when Daisuke interrupted her.

'Something's wrong,' Daisuke muttered, more to himself than to her.

'Eh?' Riku managed out. How intelligent she sounded. 'What's wrong?'

'Their disappearances… are connected. They could be connected!' Daisuke exclaimed, suddenly quickening his pace. 'Give me time, Riku! I need to think!' he shouted.

Riku frowned. Wasn't he supposed to help her find Risa?

Hissing to herself, she picked up her cycling speed and chased him down the street, determined to figure out what he was thinking.

How could Dark's and Risa's disappearances be connected?

-/-

Dark sat down by the side of the bed and buried his head in his hands in a defeated manner.

He was screwed. He was going to _die_.

It was over.

Some sick jerk had the _brilliant_ idea to put him and Risa in the same room when Risa was currently terrified of him and thinking that he'd probably bite her anytime.

He gulped; his head still in his hands. He could not – would not – look at her. For Risa wasn't going to be that far from the truth. Last night was supposed to be his feeding night with Riku. And now he had missed it.

Needless to say, Dark was _famished_.

His vampire nature brushed his consciousness briefly, seductively.

_There was food here alright… _

He bit his lip. This was not food. Food was Riku – okay that sounded wrong – but still it was a good way to remind himself that –

Closing his eyes, he willed a smiling image of Riku to burst into his mind. _Yes, good_, he told himself, _think of Riku, and think… happy thoughts._ Riku was a happy thought, he told himself.

Then he cringed, wanting to curl into a ball as the image slowly shifted to one of Risa.

He balled his hands into fists. 'No!' he yelled, lifting his head.

Risa was NOT food. He could hear his other nature laughing at him, mocking him now. It was prodding him continuously, reminding him that Risa was on the bed. _Doesn't she smell wonderful…? _

'Where are you, you sick jerk?' Dark yelled again, getting to his feet – furious at being manipulated and having to battle his other side at once. 'I'll kill you!'

He paced the room angrily, counting numbers to forget the other presence in the room. His mind was on other things though. Someone had kidnapped him. Someone knew that he was a vampire for they had not provided food or water in the room. Someone knew about Riku and Risa and how much they looked like each other. Someone –

He growled in an almost feral manner, clenching his fists unconsciously. Someone was going to _pay_ when he got out of the room, for tricking and torturing him like this.

Damn it, where was Riku? He _needed_ her. Now.

Her blood. Her closeness. The fact that she had given it to him, only him and that she was willing to protect and care for the monster that he had become.

Her _innocence_.

_Where was she?_

He inhaled deeply. If he thought hard enough, her scent would still be lingering around him.

There was a softly uttered squeak from the bed. Dark turned swiftly, suddenly remembering that there was another person in the room.

Risa had woken up and she had curled up into a protective ball, the blanket swathed around her as she hid behind a pillow. All Dark could see was the top of her head and her terrified eyes.

'Va – vamp…' she stuttered before it died in her throat. She let out a scream when Dark took one step closer.

'Don't – don't come any closer!'

Dark bit his lip. 'Risa,' he replied softly, sitting down cross-legged on the exact spot that he had been standing on. 'Risa. It's me, Dark. Don't you remember me?'

Risa looked at him fearfully. 'I… I know you, Dark,' she answered, her voice trembling. 'And I know what you've become. Please don't come closer.'

Dark hissed in frustration. 'Don't think that I've become a mindless creature, Risa! I'm still me!'

'I know. I know! But it scares me! What you are! What you've become!'

She turned away, breathing quickly.

Dark stopped breathing for a moment. He would not look at her throat. Her words were still ringing painfully in his head.

'You used to like me, Risa,' he replied quietly, staring at her.

'I… used to,' she repeated softly, still clutching her pillow like a shield. 'I used to, Dark.'

'Did you change because I became a vampire?' Dark muttered, more to himself than to her.

Risa heard him. She flushed automatically. 'No – it – it wasn't supposed to be like that…'

'I understand, Risa,' Dark replied, his voice hard. 'I don't blame you.'

He could not breathe without any pain. He had clenched his jaw so tightly that it felt locked in place. Inside his heart however, he was glad – glad that Risa was so honest – and that he had wisely stuck with Riku.

As if on cue, Risa asked sharply, 'Where's Riku?'

Dark messed his hair distractedly. 'I don't know.'

'Did – did you do anything to her?' she yelped.

Dark rolled his eyes impatiently. Trust Risa to immediately suspect the nearest vampire. 'I couldn't have done anything to her even if you threatened to kill me.'

'Oh.' Then the words hit home. 'What? You _like_ her?'

Dark gave her an affronted look. 'What's with that tone? Riku's just as attractive as you are,' he retorted before turning away hurriedly, having realized what he had just indirectly confessed. Putting his arm on his thigh and using it to support his head, he hoped against hope that his hair was covering how hot his head felt now. There was a movement and some noise.

'You like her?' Risa repeated, sitting on the edge of the bed. 'Really? You do?'

Dark didn't respond. He was still looking away. Risa couldn't see clearly but she guessed that he was blushing. Then something occurred to her.

'You were that bat!'

Dark looked up in surprise. 'What?'

Risa gave a triumphant laugh – the joy of a sister having found love bubbling through her. 'You're blushing! And you _were_ that bat!'

Dark turned away again. Risa was smarter than he realized. 'Yes, yes… I was.'

'No wonder she was so protective about it!' Risa concluded, flushed at her successful conclusion. She had been wondering about the bat, ever since it appeared in Riku's room a couple of weeks ago.

There was silence for a few minutes as the excitement died down and the depth of the situation crept in.

'_No_.'

Dark looked up from his spot on the floor again. 'Sorry?'

Risa was still on the edge of the bed but her expression had changed, from a teasing expression to a solemn one. Her eyes were burning with determination at him.

'No. I won't let you hurt her.'

Dark stood up in anger. 'What did you say?'

Risa glared at him from the bed. 'I know what you are! I won't let you hurt her! Does she know?' she demanded angrily.

'Risa, of course she knows! You just don't understand –' Dark began before stopping. How could he tell her that Riku was his Keeper?

'I don't understand, Dark?' she repeated mockingly. 'I do! And I won't let you near her!' she repeated again. 'You're too dangerous!'

Dark recoiled like Risa had slapped him. He was too… _dangerous_.

His vampire side surfaced itself again, persuading him to end her life there and then. She was too annoying; she got into his way with Riku…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'I would never hurt her, Risa. Believe me,' he whispered, opening his eyes to look at her sincerely.

Risa blinked furiously. 'What did you do to her?' she asked quietly.

'Eh?' Dark managed out. That question had been quite unexpected.

'I know she's been doing stuff at night. I hear things – I'm not stupid, you know!' Risa continued quickly. 'You've been with her, all this while!'

Dark sat back down on the floor with a relieved sigh. 'Then you'll know that I didn't do anything to her. I can't. I won't allow it.'

Risa bit her lip. She seemed almost ready to believe him.

'Look, if I _did_ do anything to her, you'd know. And she'll know, and she'll kill me – and I'll be a dead person by now. So leave it.'

Risa lowered her gaze. Her hand moved to touch her blanket. She took a deep breath and then asked the question that Dark had dreaded the most.

'Have you controlled it?'

'What?' he snapped.

'Your other side,' Risa murmured. 'I know how tempting they can sound.'

Dark didn't move. Risa lifted her eyes and stared at him from the bed.

'Answer me!'

Dark couldn't move. His other side was laughing uproariously now at the question. _Go on_, it egged, _answer her… _

'I'm… I'm trying.'

'You jerk!' Risa screeched, taking her pillow and throwing it at him with surprising force. 'How dare you say that you're _trying_? Do you know how dangerous it can be for Riku if you lost control, just once?'

Dark had ducked as the pillow had came flying. He continued looking at the ground as Risa continued her verbal assault.

'Would you have been able to protect her from yourself, should you have lost control?' When Dark didn't reply, she continued on further. 'That's why you should stay away from her! For her own safety! You like her – don't go near to her! You could hurt her and change her into another… another one of you! Don't you understand-'

Risa's voice stopped as Dark stood up and walked over to her. When he looked up to glare at her, her blood ran cold.

Dark had red eyes, she knew that as one of his best qualities – yet now they were smouldering with a rage so barely in control that they were almost bloody. And as he walked closer, she noticed a flash of yellow appearing which vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

His hand went for her throat and he pushed her towards the wall. She grunted in pain as her head hit the wall not-too-gently, already feeling his fingers tighten slowly around her neck – but they stopped before the grip became too uncomfortable to breathe. Clad only in her nightgown, Risa felt horribly defenseless against him.

Trying futilely to push his hand away, Risa resisted the urge to cry and gripped her own hands tightly onto his. She looked up defiantly at Dark, her heart beating wildly as he continued glaring at her in anger only an arm's length away. When he finally managed to speak after a few long seconds of silence, she noticed with a new thrill of fear that his canines had lengthened visibly.

'Don't tell me what I already know,' he growled huskily. 'I – we – will not harm her. She is _my_ Keeper. Do not insult us - me – by saying that I'll convert my most important person and my only source of food around into another bottomless pit.'

He released her neck abruptly and turned away, retreating back to his spot on the floor. Risa slid down onto the bed, her legs having turned to jelly by sheer icy fear hammering through her veins.

Dark sat down on the very same spot, his back to her. Risa saw that he had buried his head in his hands.

'I'm sorry, Risa. But don't talk to me now,' he replied, his voice slowly returning back to its normal tenor. 'I… I beg of you, please, don't.'

Risa's throat was dry. She couldn't reply even if she had wanted to.

-/-

'So what you're saying is that… they're related? How?'

Daisuke breathed out slowly. The pair was sitting on a bench in the park, their bicycles parked neatly beside them. Riku was quite frustrated. The entire morning had been spent waiting for Daisuke as he tried to put one and one together.

'I'm not exactly sure how. They have to be related. It's too much of a coincidence that the newest vampire and the one person we know who fears vampires the most are missing together,' Daisuke muttered, messing his hair absentmindedly.

Riku rolled her eyes impatiently. 'What, you think they ran off together in the night?'

Daisuke gave a hollow laugh and leant back on his seat. 'I'd like to see Dark trying to convince a screaming Risa.'

'_Then?_'

Daisuke rubbed his eyes. 'I don't know! I don't know anyone who might want to bring them together and for what!'

Riku flung her arms up in the air in defeat. 'Oh this is ridiculous. We could have spent the morning looking for-'

She stopped suddenly and turned hurriedly away from Daisuke, her hand covering her mouth. Stumbling out of the bench, she knelt down on the grass and tried to control whatever was trying to come out of her mouth.

Daisuke was instantly by her side. 'Riku? Are you alright? What's wrong?'

The retching feeling died down slowly. Coughing slightly, Riku finally removed her hand, relieved to see that there was nothing in her palm.

She turned to see that Daisuke was still looking at her in concern. 'It's nothing. I suddenly felt really bad, like I wanted to vomit.'

Daisuke looked at her in puzzlement. 'Are you sure it's okay? It's not… that time right?'

He flushed as he asked the question. Riku laughed. 'Oh, no it's not. Perhaps I was just worried about Risa and Dark.'

Daisuke helped her to her feet. 'Hmmm,' he mused as she returned to her bench. 'You're really worried about them right?'

Riku sighed as she sat down. 'Yeah. More so about Dark, really. What if he bites someone?'

Daisuke smiled at her gently. 'Don't worry. I know Dark better than you do. He's got amazing self control – even if something he really wanted was right in front of him, he'd never take it unless he's absolutely sure that it's okay to do so.'

Riku nodded. In the past weeks, Dark had flirted and teased her, telling her of his love for her but he had never actually done anything to her. Perhaps Daisuke was right about him in this aspect.

'Did… did he do anything to you?' Daisuke asked out in a rush.

Riku looked up in surprise. Daisuke was blushing furiously.

'Ah! No! I mean! Well, if he did something, he's got to answer to it…!' he stammered, scratching his head awkwardly.

Riku laughed again. 'No, he didn't do anything. He can be a complete jerk at times, but he didn't do anything at all.'

Daisuke grinned back. With relief or anything similar to that, Riku didn't know. His eyes didn't say anything.

'Come on; let's go back to my place. It's almost time for lunch. My mum's cooking today. She'll be glad for the company.'

-/-

Emiko pulled open the door to reveal a panting Daisuke supporting a pale, almost unconscious Riku by the shoulders.

'My goodness! What happened? Bring her in, Daisuke, she looks terrible!'

'Mum, get me the first-aid kit. Riku was cycling back – when she almost crashed into a lamp post,' Daisuke panted as he helped her to the sofa. Putting her down gently on the sofa, he hurried to take the first aid kit from his mother, who had found one and was walking over to check on Riku who had slumped onto the sofa, breathing heavily. Occasionally, she retched but nothing came out.

'Did she fall off the bicycle?' Emiko asked as she opened the box to take out antiseptic and cotton wool.

Daisuke came over with a small container filled with warm water. 'She almost crashed but changed direction before she could. Her bike skidded and she landed in a bush. I'm not sure if she hit her head though. Can you deal with the scratches? I need to check something.'

Emiko began cleaning the wound gently. 'Leave it to mum,' she winked.

Daisuke ran down the stairs to the basement, where his family had kept a large library of various books on the arcane arts and a few mythological beasts and began to search the titles.

Vampires… vampires… Keepers… he knew he had read of this somewhere…

Riku was Dark's Keeper. The sharing of her blood with him was a powerful show of trust on her part and Dark, as a vampire, would appreciate the trust in more ways than one. He knew that there was a way to track Dark down through Riku. It was inbuilt into the system of Keeper and Vampire, and the bond between them was –

He stopped.

_Bond! _

Riku held one end of the thread. If they followed the thread, they would find Dark… holding the other end.

Bond…

Finding the desired title, he pulled out the book and began flipping the pages frantically.

Bond…

There it was!

'_The bond between a Keeper and Vampire is extremely powerful, as the human is the first and probably the only source of food around for the fledging. The Blood bond, as it is often called, binds the Keeper to the vampire and is almost unbreakable. A vampire will know exactly where his Keeper is and will be able to track the Keeper down. This ability is not so profound in humans, yet the human will know if his vampire is in danger due to the blood shared between the two parties. Sensitive humans have been able to pinpoint the location of their vampires with varying degrees of accuracy, the accuracy usually increasing if the vampire is in greater danger, especially the danger of losing himself.' _

Daisuke sighed in relief. The Keeper was supposed to keep the vampire from embracing his true nature, right? So it would make sense that the greatest danger perceived by a Keeper for his vampire would be the embracing of his true nature.

However it didn't explain why Riku was feeling so terrible. Returning back to the book, Daisuke devoured more of the knowledge present.

'_This ability manifests itself in different ways. It could be in dreams, feelings or pain, especially if the vampire is in danger.' _

The retching must be Riku's way of knowing that Dark was in danger. If he could focus her ability a little more, perhaps she would be able to know where Dark was. Daisuke shut the book.

Dark was in danger.

He ran up the stairs again, to find Riku quietly accepting a cup of something warm from his mother. Emiko winked at her son as he walked over questioningly.

'She's alright,' Emiko whispered as her son walked past her. 'But she's terribly disturbed about something. I think the fall must have given her a shock, so I gave her something warm to drink.'

'Thanks mum,' Daisuke smiled gratefully at his mother.

She ruffled his hair affectionately and entered the kitchen.

Daisuke sat down tentatively beside Riku. She was still sipping from the cup.

'Riku…' he began slowly.

'Daisuke,' she interrupted. 'I know where Dark is. And we have to go to him now.'

-/-

He chuckled darkly to himself. The redhead was very, very intelligent and quick to the uptake. If the girl hadn't exhibited the signs, he would have dropped the pair a hint to help them along.

Pity he had to kill them later on though. The boy looked to be a very promising vampire.

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Heka: And that's it for this chapter! Actually, this chapter looks like a filler! Oh no!

Dark: You made them wait for like what, almost a year?

Heka: Well, it's a decent eight pages of tension and torture, so they should be satisfied.

Shigure: Mit-san would have killed you already.

Heka: Well, I'm beginning to really think that I work well under pressure. I have my mid years coming in about a week and I spent the whole later part of the afternoon and night finishing this up. I was really inspired at the middle of writing it!

Dark: You're going to kill off all your readers like that.

Heka: Oh yes, this was much required… I present to you, with much joy and anticipation –

**The Ask Dark/Shigure/Heka section is finally in session! **(Oh man, alliteration)

Heka: The first question has already been answered! It is up there!

Dark: And I don't dye my hair, for your information. It's naturally plum.

Shigure: (sniggering) Don't say that. It's such a funny way of saying that! Get the pun?

Dark: Go away.

Heka: Cheeky-doggie asks when Krad will come out again!

Dark: I have him! Under my finger! Mua hahahaha.

Shigure: He's currently resting in one of the rooms we provided. He needs to prepare to his final appearance.

Dark: Actually, she doesn't know how to bring him in.

Heka: Shhh!

Heka: Existence92 asked if there will be a love rectangle here!

Dark: You know, if you look at it in all possible perspectives, there could be an, oh I don't know… love… (Counts fingers)

Shigure: Something that has definitely more than 4 angles.

Dark: Decagon?

Heka: That's ten people and there are only around six characters here.

Shigure: Permutations and combinations…

Heka: Runelesca asks when Riku will accept that she likes Dark!

Dark: (is in heaven)

Shigure: Dunno. Only she can answer that question.

Riku: (blushing furiously) NEVER!

Dark: (spirals down to hell)

Heka: That pretty much answers your question.

Heka: Cagalliyulathha (wow what a name) asks if a) Dark is dead or not and b) whether he's freaked out by Risa!

Dark: I am NOT DEAD. I am too hot to die. I can NEVER die. Remember that.

Shigure: That and the fact that you're just an imaginary character…

Dark: Well so are you.

Shigure: I never minded dying.

Dark: And I'm not freaked out by Risa. I am not. I really am not.

Shigure: Ooh look! A Risa plushie!

Dark: GET IT AWAY FROM ME! (flaps away fearfully)

Shigure: I guess that pretty much answers everything.

Heka: Last question! Ayame11midori asked what happened to Dark!

Dark, Shigure: That's stu –

Heka: Don't insult the reader!

Dark: I COULD say that I got lost then Riku found me and we fell deeply and madly in love with each other and were never separated by stupid people like Daisuke and Satoshi and we had lots of kids and lots more fun making them –

Shigure: I'm sorry. I had to call in Hattori to inject some tranquilizers.

Heka: … … please keep this PG-13 here…

Shigure: Can we ban him? Please?

Heka: Oh… I don't know… unless you can find a replacement?

Shigure: Hattori-chan!

Hattori: No.

Shigure: But –

Hattori: No.

Heka: Anyway, I want to take people voiced by your seiyuu!

Hattori: Go away.

Shigure: So we can't have Hattori-chan? But I did so wanted him…

Heka: Umm. Maybe we can get Ayame to do a guest appearance next time. Until then, thanks for waiting! Here's a big box of cookies for you! Thank you and please review!

_Note_: Technicality here: I said that vampires will know where their Keepers are. Dark doesn't know where Riku is because he's too distracted and hungry and not listening to his other side.

Shigure: Wow, other side sounds very… _other-side-ish. _

Dark: Thanks. I sounded like an idiot up there.

Heka: We still love you! Don't we?


	5. Chapter 5: On a Bat's Wings

Heka: CHAPTER FIVE OMG OMG OMG

Shigure: Ah. Well, well. This _is_ a surprise.

Dark: It's a _wonderful _surprise!

Heka: Yes! It's exactly a month after my A Levels finished, and I'm celebrating it by posting up Chapter V! Thank you everyone who has been waiting for the past… (counts) six months! I'm sorry for the long wait!

(Everyone pops the champagne bottles)

Heka: Also! I have gotten a job!

(Whistles are blown, confetti is thrown)

Dark: … Wait… This means, you don't have time to update more?

Heka: I'll try to update! Really! Oh yes! Everyone! I realised that I have seriously not done my vampire research! I was reading this series of books during my free time which had a vampire as one of its main characters –

Shigure: Strangely, not bothering to update with this…

Heka: It's called _research_, Shiggy. Anyway, I discovered that to convert a person to a vampire, there has to be _an exchange of blood_!

(Everyone gasps. Shigure blows a lone whistle)

Shigure: Well done, indeed.

Heka: Well, I was actually thinking that a vampire bite is like infectious? Like a disease? So that's why Dark can't bite Riku at all? Because the infection's in the teeth? If the teeth break the skin, then the infection begins! And the Window of Opportunity is like the body's immune system against a virus, either you break through of you don't (and doctors are useless in this field, believe me, I study Biology and I was horribly disgusted that I had been cheated by doctors for _years_) with your own strength! And the mangaka of Vampire Knight had different levels of Vampires… how only pureblood vampires could infect people…

Shigure: Ho hum.

Heka: I decided not to follow her style already… it's too complex… it would make Krad a pureblood like Kaname and Dark a Level E like Zero…

Dark: Please, if you have absolutely no idea what she is talking about, it's alright, neither do we.

Heka: Also! I had been distracted by Bleach. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques _owns_. He has a cool battle mode, and ultimately, a cool name. 'Nuff said.

Dark: What about me?

Heka: Yes, well, you'll always remain in my heart, with a feeling of warm fuzziness that is full of fluff… Ah. I was thinking also, why did I want to write a vampire story with Dark in it?

Shigure: Yes, please, enlighten us.

Heka: Don't sound so bored, Shigure!

Dark: I love to hear about me!

Heka: I mean, his name said it all, _Dark Mousy_! A flying rodent.

Shiguire: _Now_ I'm interested.

Dark: I am _not_ a rat.

Heka: Exactly! A flying rodent is what a bat is called sometimes! Hence: vampires! Besides, the D.N.Angel fandom was just _begging_ for it. Who doesn't love a hot, sexy vampire any time of the day?

Shigure: … Night…

Heka: Night… whatever. Anyway, this is the longest chapter I've done so far! 11 pages of delicious fun! Please enjoy! Also, standard disclaimers apply. Nothing here belongs to me, except the plot… which doesn't seem to be going anywhere…

Shigure: They don't need to hear that. Now run along and enjoy the latest instalment of The Keeper.

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Riku had been very brief with the details on Dark's location, as she mentioned that she had only gotten sketchy visions of where he had been and what he had experienced. She could only say clearly that he was in a room and he did not like it before she stopped – her face turning into an unhealthy shade of white.

Daisuke blinked when the information stopped flowing and sent Riku an anxious glance. Her eyes were wide, as though seeing a horrible scene that only she could perceive.

'Riku…? Are you alright?'

Her grip on the cup was steel; so hard until her fingertips were edged in white.

'Daisuke…' she whispered slowly, as though waking up from a dream. 'Daisuke… Risa's there. Risa's there with him…'

Daisuke did a double take.

'_What?_'

'She's there, Daisuke! There! With him! In the same room!' Riku's voice rose along with her horror and shock. She looked close to tears. 'They're in the same room! He hasn't fed in more than a week!'

She was almost wailing in agony now, her eyes filled with tears of fear and anger as she stared at Daisuke. Then with an almost robotic jerk, she turned away and brought the back of her hand to her eyes, rubbing furiously at them.

'I mustn't – mustn't – I must… get to him before… before…' she gulped wordlessly, too afraid to vocalise her worst fears.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, before she turned to look back at Daisuke, who had gone silent. He smiled gently when he saw her eyes, rimmed with red, pleading a soundless entreaty.

Daisuke stretched out his arm kindly.

'Come with me, Riku. I'll show you how to protect Risa.'

Taking his hand, she followed him quietly until he reached the door to the basement of the Niwa residence. Pulling it open with a sharp tug, he opened the door and entered the dark room as Riku followed him cautiously, still cradling the cup, gripping it like a lifeline.

'Are… are you sure it's alright for me to enter, Daisuke?'

Feeling for the switch and clicking it on, Daisuke turned back to Riku with a smile.

'Of course it's alright. I'm letting you in.'

Riku almost dropped her cup at his smile. Gripping it even tighter, she steadied herself with the sobering thought that Dark was in trouble and that _she should not be thinking about such irrelevant things_ like how endearing Daisuke's smile was and focus on the situation at hand.

_Risa__ was in danger_, she reminded herself as she followed Daisuke tentatively into the basement. _Stop acting stupid_.

Entering the basement, she was left in awe by the size of the room as Daisuke walked in deeper into the room. She suddenly felt the need to talk in whispers, as the air was so still and as she breathed, she inhaled the age-old scent of paper and ink. Taking another step into what she felt was an exceptionally old room, Riku looked around in wonder. This must have been a study of sorts as there were books _everywhere_ – on shelves like a library. Walls were covered with them, of varying colours and sizes – she discovered them to be extremely well kept books about vampires and other mythological creatures – and she even spied books of different languages. Physics was clearly not an important factor here – the room was _huge_ – she would have never known that such a tiny and nondescript door would lead to this room, bordering upon the mystical and forbidden. She ran her fingers past the spines of the books gently and saw that she did not lift any dirt.

'Daisuke…' she started, staring at her finger. 'Is there something you should tell me?'

Daisuke's voice drifted over, sounding like he was from somewhere far away. 'My family used to be hunters of the mythological… We… don't usually do it now as most of them have died out but my mom still likes to keep the legends and the romance alive.'

Riku continued staring at her finger. Something was wrong here. His tone said it all.

'Please keep up Riku, it's easy to get lost here.'

Startled, Riku began to follow the sound of Daisuke's voice and felt her mouth hanging open as she passed the shelves and went deeper into the room. Apparently the first section was a library of sorts but the next section of the room was an entirely different matter and had no qualms about showing it.

'You have a crossbow hanging over there.' _What an astute comment_, Riku mused inwardly, as she gaped at the heavy siege crossbow propped up reverently on the wall.

Daisuke laughed – was it nervously? – and replied, 'Yes, well, some of them required different methods of killing…'

Riku laughed hollowly as she touched a particularly lethal-looking rifle. 'I expect that you'll have silver bullets too?'

'Riku…' Daisuke replied exasperatedly, laughing again.

He didn't answer the question, she noted as she silently followed him into the middle of the massive room, where Daisuke turned around and faced her with an eager smile.

'So, I've got tranquilizers somewhere here… used to be for werewolves though, but I'm sure they'll work for vampires too…' His voice died down to muttering as he began to count off his fingers soundlessly.

Riku placed the cup she was holding down on top of a display of bolts.

'You… haven't stopped. Have you?'

Daisuke stopped counting. 'What… what do you mean, Riku?'

She motioned frantically to her surroundings. 'This. You haven't stopped. Have you? Everything is clean and in working condition, almost like new!'

He was definitely not looking at her now.

'Look… Riku, that isn't important now. What's important now is Dark and Risa, remember?'

Riku gave him a long and hard stare before she sighed in defeat. This was definitely not the right time to confront Daisuke on his dubious family background. Casting her eyes around for something other than him to look at, Riku realised that her hands were fisted tightly on top of the display of bolts. She needed to calm down – to think rationally. This was not the time.

Daisuke took a slow, deep breath when he saw that Riku was silent.

'So… what do you need?'

-/-

_Goodness__ – I need a bath_, Risa thought absentmindedly as she fingered her thin nightgown, momentarily bored with her surroundings. She still feared him, especially when his eyes turned yellow but the fact that she had absolutely nothing to do in the room grated hard against her nerves. Dark had not moved from his corner or spoken to her since her last outburst – only making a concession once when she was bored (and stupid) enough to voice out her own hunger and, out of politeness, asking if he was hungry too.

The answering silence had been deafening.

Then, just as Risa realised her horrible mistake –

'Yeah, I'm really hungry too.'

Her embarrassment had been heavy enough to diffuse throughout the room and blanket them all in graveyard silence for another couple of hours. Or what seemed to be a couple of hours to her.

Frustrated with the absolute lack of anything to do, Risa flung herself back onto the bed and tried to take a nap. That was another problem, as she had to fall asleep first and by the three hundred-and-sixty-ninth sheep, Risa knew that she was definitely not going to get any shuteye. The room buzzed with unspoken tension and she knew just the source.

Narrowing her eyes in irritation, she sat up again and shot Dark an accusatory glare before throwing a pillow in his direction again.

'Hey! I'm not invisible, you know!'

Dark only turned briefly to face her, his voice laced with pure venom. 'Yeah. I knew that.'

He was _not_ going to tell her that the smell of her was heady enough to almost make him lose control and the sound of her pumping blood was loud enough to echo in his head. That was irrelevant.

'So? Talk to me! We're stuck here together until someone rescues us!'

'Whatever for? We've been perfectly fine with silence for the past few hours.' He really did not want to face her now. She looked too much – _was_ far too much – like Riku. And Riku meant food. Risa was not food. Hopefully, he thought as he chewed his lip distractedly, chanting this mantra would help him remember that she was not his Keeper, because Risa's mere presence was not helping. If biting at her every word would keep her silent then he would do it – perhaps he would be less distracted by her and more able to focus on Riku… like he had been doing for the past few hours.

However, Riku _did_ have Risa as a younger sister, and no matter how much they wanted to be differentiated as twins, there were still some things that both would still react to in a similar manner and being ignored was, unfortunately, one of them.

'Don't you _dare_ ignore me again, Dark Mousy!' Risa's voice rose in pitch and level of annoyance.

'God, you're just like Riku,' Dark growled and attempted to stuff his fingers into his ears, 'Always yelling my name. Is it that nice to yell?' If he concentrated, he would be able to remember Riku's scent around him…

'Riku!' Risa exclaimed delightedly, grabbing the word from his mouth. Anything to keep him talking. He did not know it but she had felt the change in atmosphere when Dark's irritation grew and though she had not seen the dangerous flash of yellow in his eyes, she had felt the presence of his hunger, clawing at the edge of her consciousness and it frightened her to no end. 'Yes! Let's talk about her!'

'Eh?'

'Talk about Riku! You like her right?' The one thing that would make him forget his hunger, which was dangerously close to being exposed._ Come on… take the bait… _

Dark appeared to be momentarily stunned to silence by her words. Here he was, trying to forget that his Keeper's twin was here – like a ready-to-eat meal and she insisted upon talking about her?

He peered suspiciously at Risa, who was red in the face and panting slightly, her eyes shining with excitement. If he tried a bit harder, he could almost see Riku's reflection in her face – and forget the fact that Risa was alive and ready, just waiting to be eaten.

'What for?'

Risa rolled her eyes impatiently. 'Goodness. You _are_ dense! I thought you'd _love_ to talk about her! Isn't she currently the most important person in your entire plane of existence right now?' She waved her hands for effect.

Dark actually turned around and stared at her in disbelief._ I_ am _good_, Risa thought inwardly, hoping strongly that her inner smile was not showing on her face. _If this doesn't distract him, I don't know what will. _

'… Is this some stupid "checking out if the guy is suitable for my sister" kind of talk?' Dark queried shrewdly, still highly suspicious of Risa's intentions.

There was a brief moment of silence before Risa burst out laughing, her fear and tension diffusing into nothingness by the sheer _normalcy_ of Dark's question. The sound of her laughter echoed around the room and just as she was about to stop, the dying echoes of her relief caught her and Risa diffused into another fit of giggles again.

Dark was clearly not amused. Neither did he understand the situation.

'Are you alright?' he asked sulkily as Risa finally settled down to wheezing heavily and giving the occasional burst of laughter. 'What was so funny?'

'Ah… Vampires still can be boys then,' Risa muttered to herself as she wiped some tears away. Raising her voice, she replied. 'Eh? No, this isn't me checking if you're alright for her. You've pretty much proven that already. I just want to hear what she's like from your point of view. What does she do with you at night?'

Dark only managed to carefully arrange his face into a politely bemused expression. There were so many ways to answer that last question, and he didn't want Risa to know just how many.

'At night…? Well, we just… talk.'

Risa blinked. Dark nodded slowly for emphasis. 'Yeah. We just talk.'

'That's it? You guys just… talk?' she repeated slowly. Dark nodded again. 'That's so… completely… utterly…' Here her vocabulary failed her. '_Boring_!'

Dark seemed to take that comment as a personal insult. Sitting upright, he retorted, 'What's wrong with talking?'

Risa waved her hands helplessly, ignoring his question. The idea that Riku's idea of an interesting night with her potential boyfriend consisted only of talking alarmed her out of her wits. 'What do you mean, you just talk?! Don't you two even sit next to each other?'

Here, Dark flushed involuntarily. Risa pounced upon it and shrieked, '_You don't even do that?!_'

'Well… she sits on her bed and I sit on her chair…'

'_You are a complete idiot_!'

'What's wrong with that?' he yelled back defensively, standing up.

'Don't you _like _her?' Risa shot back.

'Well, yeah –'

'_Then why aren't you doing anything about it?!_'

'I did! I asked her to be my Keeper!' Inside his head, he smacked himself on the forehead.

_Too late. _

'You… what?'

… _Damn it. Damn, damn, damn it. _

'Repeat that.'

Dark clenched his teeth tighter, refusing to say anything. His hands were fisted at his sides.

'I said, _repeat that._'

There was no denying that tone of voice. 'I asked her to be my Keeper… and she agreed.'

_We told her already_, his other side whispered snidely. _Why is she acting so surprised?_ _Humans are slow. _

'You… you… you… IDIOT! How dare you!'

'Look,' Dark began, thinking fast, 'As she's my Keeper, I can't hurt her right? I need her alive and well!'

This just made Risa even angrier. 'Oh, so _now_ she's just _food_ to you, eh?' If it had been vocally possible, Dark could have sworn her voice just reached a new level in pitch.

His other side laughed. _Pretty much, yes_.

_Da__mn you,_ he cursed inwardly._ Not helping here. _

It laughed and gave the mental equivalent of a shrug.

'No – I don't treat her like food! Don't you _know_ what Keepers do, really?' he cried anxiously. 'And didn't you say so yourself earlier, that I was alright for Riku?'

'It didn't include the possibility of her being your lunch!'

'Well, it was bound to! I'm a vampire!' Dark shouted back heatedly. He had been walking closer to Risa but when he realised what he had just said, he stopped dead.

_Out of the __frying pan, into the fire… _

Risa breathed in sharply. To Dark's alarm, she looked close to tears. Taking advantage of her momentary silence, he tried, once again, to explain, approaching her and settling himself down on the floor just beside the bed.

'Look, what Keepers are supposed to do is to help the new vampire, me,' he pointed to himself, 'Remain as humane as possible. And this means that I don't go around taking blood from others – '

'Except hers,' Risa said quietly.

_Bingo_, his other side said triumphantly.

'Look, she controls the amount I take! And I only do it once a week! It doesn't hurt her!'

Risa only managed to look more aghast, her hands going to grip her face tightly.

'Once a week?' she repeated blankly, before she continued. 'Do you know that we're only allowed to donate blood once every three months, so that our body can replenish the amount of blood we lost?'

Dark was momentarily shocked into silence again. _Risa really isn't that dumb_.

'Uh... No?'

'You're draining her dry!' Her face scrunched up as she realised what she had just said. 'That's disgusting! Don't you know how dangerous it is?'

Dark sighed heavily and looked down. 'I think about that every day, Risa. Trust me.'

'Does she know how dangerous it is? You know Riku, she always thinks about others before herself!' Risa turned to him desperately, almost tearing before her eyes grew hard. 'Did you force her into it?'

Dark jerked backwards, horrified. 'No!'

Risa turned away, exhaling quickly. One of her hands began to circle the wrist of the other absentmindedly. 'So…' she said slowly, as though considering something. 'She did it willingly? Even though she knew the danger?'

Dark took a deep breath. 'She said that I became a vampire because of her. Thus, it was her responsibility to… keep me in check.'

'I see… so she took it all alone. All by herself,' Risa muttered slowly, still circling her wrist. 'I see.' Her voice had changed. It was hard and confident. It also sounded like a conclusion.

Risa looked up again, her eyes gleaming with an unknown expression. It was a mixture of relief and acceptance… and almost guilt.

Dark stared at her curiously.

'Riku's been an absolutely selfish brat,' she concluded firmly. 'I should tell her that the next time I see her. Remind me, alright?'

It was now Dark's turn to blink, and to worry about Risa's sanity. Nodding just to please her, he asked, 'Umm. Risa? Are you alright?'

She nodded once. 'Yes. So now that we've settled for the fact that Riku's been terribly selfish and not letting me share the burden, there's the other matter of _you_ to handle.'

Dark gulped nervously. 'Me? What about me?'

Risa sounded almost cheerful for the first time since she woke up and began talking to him. It was just a little too unnerving for Dark to handle. Suddenly, she thrust her left wrist in front of him.

'Bite me.'

Dark's jaw dropped.

'_What?_'

Risa rolled her eyes. 'I said, bite me. You have to eat.'

'But – but – ' Dark stuttered, at a loss for words. 'Turning into a vampire…'

'I've beaten the Window once. I can do it again. _You_ however, are right on the verge of turning into a mindless, blood-hungry monster. So bite me.'

Dark gave her an exasperated look and moved her wrist away. 'Thanks, Risa.'

'I mean it. Bite me.' She pushed her wrist into his face. Alarmed, he turned away before she could force it into his mouth.

'Risa! I can't!' he exclaimed, startled at the abrupt change in events. 'I can't take anyone else's blood! Especially yours! Riku would kill me!'

Risa rolled her eyes again and continued offering her arm. 'Let _me_ worry about that. You worry about yourself. Besides, this is payback for Riku for not letting me know about you.'

Dark backed away from Risa quickly, shocked that she took this so lightly. 'No! I can't!'

This was wrong. This was very wrong. Conversely, his other side _sang_, riding on the hunger and the joy of Changing another.

Dark shut his eyes. The blood lust was rising… He _had_ to get away from her, before it got out of hand.

Risa glared at him from the bed. 'What is _wrong_ with you? Aren't I the same as Riku? We're identical twins, for goodness sake! The blood's the same!'

Dark shook his head frantically, still backing away from her with his eyes closed, lest the vision of her just offering herself shredded what little control he had left over his hunger into ribbons. 'No! It's not the same! You're not Riku!'

There was a short, breathless silence and then Risa laughed a short, clipped laugh. Dark dared to open one eye, having backed all the way to the wall at the other end of the room, where her presence was not so overbearing.

Risa's eyes were gleaming with unshed tears as she stared at her hands and laughed bitterly again, defeated.

'How ironic… the one time I want everyone to take us as the same... and you say we're totally different.'

-/-

'There's no difference right?'

Daisuke jumped. For the past half an hour since Riku questioned him about his family's other job, she had been uncannily focused on what to use on Dark, lest he became difficult to handle in his blind hunger. She had listened intently to his brief explanations on the types of weapons his family had used against vampires as eagerly as a fresh hunter preparing for her most dangerous task yet. It had been almost disturbing to see the seriousness that she was emitting as she considered using a rifle (more for werewolves), a stake (which she eventually discarded because it meant that she had to get close to him) and the traditional method of spraying holy water (rejected again due to availability of stock) before finally deciding on using a small and simple crossbow, as she felt that there was a clean kind of elegance in the weapon.

'Riku….?'

She was staring thoughtfully at the small crossbow, turning it this way and that, as though trying to figure out how it worked. 'I mean, shooting him with wood or metal, won't kill him right?'

There was a sharp snap as the mechanism tripped and a small metal bolt lodged itself deep into the opposite wall. As the low thud echoed slowly throughout the room, Riku looked strangely satisfied at its distance and accuracy.

Daisuke stared, half in amazement and half in almost-fear. Riku looked extremely dangerous just for a moment, when she lowered the crossbow from eye level. Then she looked back at him and her normal face was back, with all of its softness and innocence.

'Daisuke? Did you hear me?'

He struggled to find his voice again. He had the strangest feeling that Dark was not the only monster in the town. 'Well, the only thing that really stops vampires would be… the sun, or a stake. If you aren't actually intending to kill him, he probably won't die, but… it'll hurt a lot for him.'

He glanced at her anxiously. Riku was looking over the display and checking the type of bolt to use. Her eyes were half-lidded with supreme indifference.

'Hmmm. That's good, then.'

Daisuke was suddenly very much afraid for Dark, should he have done anything to Risa. He had a nagging feeling that Riku probably would not care if it was accidental or otherwise.

'Umm, Riku? Do you actually know where he is?'

Riku picked out a small wooden bolt, apparently content with her choice and slotted it into the bolt channel before she replied. 'I'm not exactly sure, but I think I can point us in the right direction… Can I get a bagful of these?'

She waved the bolt gaily to him. Daisuke felt a little sick. Riku appeared to be too happy to be able to physically and permanently disable Dark. With a sigh, he turned and began to look around for the specific bolt that Riku had requested for. Having found it, he passed a quiver of them to her before they both exited from the room in relative silence.

Observing her discreetly, Daisuke saw that her fingers were white as she held on to the crossbow and the quiver. When they reached the living room, the quiver was placed down on the coffee table with a clatter and it was only when she sank onto the couch beside the table then that he realised that Riku had been trembling. He moved to speak, yet Riku appeared to notice her own trembling and tightened her hand into a fist, before placing both fists on her lap.

He sat down next to her. She was biting her lip, her head bowed.

He gave her a few moments' peace before clearing his throat quietly, believing that she was steeling herself to do something which she never had expected to do – even though she had previously expressed a vague sort of sadistic pleasure at getting to shoot at Dark.

She looked up at the sound. Daisuke had never seen her look so lost and so frightened before, yet so determined to fight that fear welling up inside her. Then she blinked – and the fear was sucked back into somewhere in her mind, back to where he could not reach it and sheer strength of will replaced her dread.

His breath hitched and his arms were around her before he realised it.

'Dai – Daisuke?' Riku yelped, clearly alarmed by his sudden movement. She struggled for a while but his arms remained firm around her shoulders, gripping tightly.

'You're not alone, Riku. I'm here with you.'

'Daisuke?' Riku repeated uncertainly, her posture as stiff as a rod with Daisuke's arms around her. She could not breathe. Not when he was this close, with the essence of Daisuke flooding her senses. 'You're – you're starting to scare me.'

With that, he released her from the hug but held tightly to her shoulders. Looking directly into her wide, startled eyes, Daisuke repeated what he said to her firmly.

Riku looked bemused. 'Alright…?'

Satisfied that he had gotten his point across, Daisuke stood up straight again and picked up the quiver full of bolts. Extending his hand towards Riku, he smiled and asked, 'Ready?'

Riku looked up to him with a grin, picking up the crossbow as she took his hand and stood up. She looked much more confident and happier than before she entered the Niwa basement.

'Ready.'

Placing the weapons and other items which they felt were required into a backpack to avoid causing unnecessary panic, they left the Niwa residence and began scouring the town for Dark's presence. Riku could only ascertain the direction he was in; hence as she pointed towards the outskirts of the town, where it was not as busy as there was a lesser amount of houses. The duo spent the rest of the day looking for any possible houses which would be able to hold a vampire and her sister.

It was nearing the evening and all of the few houses that they had checked with so far had been lived in, with their mundane occupants answering the door when one of them had rung it. Daisuke had prepared themselves as questioners for a simple survey, and many of the inhabitants had been happy to comply with his questions.

Riku then voiced out her notion that Dark could have been held in an uninhabited house – something which Daisuke was rather curious to know why. They began discussing it as the pair continued walking down the deserted path, towards the end of the town, where the cliff and the ocean began.

'I don't know… No one would want to keep a vampire in a house and stay there right…?'

'You only saw a room right? The rest of the house could be inhabited…'

'Well, look at the people we've seen so far here. They don't look like the sort…' Riku's voice petered out as she remembered how Daisuke did not look like a modern-day mythological beast hunter as well.

'Appearances can be deceiving, you know?' Daisuke remarked, not noticing why she had trailed off. 'Though everyone here seems to be pretty well-off,' he noted as an afterthought.

Riku nodded her head. 'Yeah,' she agreed feelingly. 'But I just _think_ – '

Daisuke laughed. 'I can't argue with a Keeper on that. You've supposed to know where Dark is.'

Startled, Riku replied, 'Really? Oh no – I don't know where exactly he is! Am I a good Keeper?'

Amused, Daisuke grinned. Riku actually worried about her performance as a Keeper? 'You're fine – one of the best I know of – '

Riku cut in, rolling her eyes. 'I'm the _only_ one you know of – '

'No, really! I don't think Dark would have chosen you if he knew you wouldn't be up to it.'

'That's really comforting – '

Riku stopped talking. Daisuke turned to look at her. 'You okay?'

Riku didn't answer him, only glancing anxiously at the sky, which was a brilliant orange, with a bright crimson sun beginning to set at the end of the ocean. It would have been a magnificent sight, if only Riku had not been so worried about… what?

She began to look around her distractedly, as though Dark would pounce out of the bushes around them and attack them.

'Riku? Is anything wrong?'

Riku inhaled sharply. 'He's near.'

'Dark?'

She nodded once. 'There's something wrong with him. Risa's in danger!'

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees, clutching her head and a low moan issued from her. Anxious, Daisuke bent down and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently.

'Riku? Riku?' he cried, shaking her again when she did not reply. 'Riku! Listen to me – you have to pull yourself together. You're the only one who can save Risa – '

Riku was almost swooning now. 'Sick…' she groaned. 'He's hungry… so very – '

Horrified, Daisuke shook Riku harder. 'Not yet! Stay with me! Where is he?'

Riku flinched, holding her head and tried to focus. The feeling was so horrible – the nausea, the pain – but she tried to concentrate on where. Raising her finger shakily, she pointed towards the bushes on Daisuke's left. 'There… Go – stop him.'

With that, she retched heavily. Daisuke did not say anything; he placed his arm around Riku's shoulders, lifting one of hers to put around his, supporting her. 'We're going together, Riku.'

Riku's head spun as Daisuke lifted her from her knees. Didn't he understand? She couldn't stop him in her current condition – she could barely stand, yet alone fire a projectile at a possibly moving target. She tried to push Daisuke away – but he held firm.

'You're coming with me, Riku.'

'Can't move…'

'I'll move you then.'

'_Daisuke_ – '

'Save it.' His tone was uncharacteristically hard.

He began moving, slowly but surely in the direction that she had pointed out. Getting through the bushes had been tough but eventually they broke through after a short while, to an open field with a small house in the middle of it. All of its windows on its single floor were shut tightly and it looked like it had not had living occupants in it for a while. Daisuke managed a small smile – Riku had been right after all – when he noticed that Riku's head was lolling to the side as he pulled her along. Daisuke shook her again.

'Not yet, Riku.'

She was having difficulty breathing now. She was just slowing him down. Riku gasped heavily. 'Put me… down.'

'No, Riku. You're coming.'

He was nearing the house now. Riku could barely keep her eyes open in the fading light of the day. The pain was so intense, like a white-hot poker had been sliced through her entire body and was now spreading throughout. She felt terribly sick as well, retching when there was nothing to throw up, her legs barely doing their job of supporting her.

'We're almost at the house now, Riku. Stay with me.'

Her vision was swimming. Daisuke's voice was the only constant she could experience now – everything else shifted and swirled like a particularly violent whirlpool in her head: the ground refused to be still and her mind refused to stop spinning. Her stomach too – felt like it had been doing one too many somersaults. She retched again as she felt Daisuke try the door knob unsuccessfully. Leaning her gently against the wall of the house, he fumbled around his pockets.

'I am going to open the door now, alright?'

Riku swayed on her spot. 'Hurry. Not much… time… left.'

Fishing out a lock pick, Daisuke began to pick at the lock industriously. Within seconds, there was a small and satisfying click – signalling that the lock had been overcome.

Holding her again, he swung the door open.

What Riku saw made all the pain and sickness she was feeling disappear – only to be replaced with something else: anger.

Dark had Risa cornered on a small bed and his mouth at Risa's wrist, fangs bared –

'_Dark Mousy!_'

The shocked pause had been shattered by Daisuke's shout of rage. Whirling around, Dark spotted Riku and Daisuke at the doorway and hissed in anger – or fear, it seemed – for as soon as he saw the pair, he dropped Risa's arm and bolted towards the door which was the only exit. As he rushed towards her, Riku suddenly saw everything in startlingly clarity – his teeth had grown, exposed with his lifted lips and his face was one twisted with hunger and malevolence.

It was terrifying, and a horror beyond words gripped her so tightly that her heart stopped beating for a moment.

Still weak from her prior sickness and her body locked in the grasp of fear, Riku could not stop him as Dark barrelled through her and Daisuke, causing Daisuke to release her shoulders and separating them with a rough push of his hands, with nails lengthened slightly like claws. Landing heavily on the floor, Riku only watched in angry despair as Dark escaped into the fresh darkness of the night without another backward glance.

'His eyes were – were – they were –' she stuttered endlessly as he had looked so different from what she was used to. The calm, cool and collected Dark Mousy was gone; in his place was a creature driven only by his most basic and bestial urges – to consume and to survive – without a trance of the eloquent human left. The word _Monster_ kept repeating itself in her head, and Riku's horror was brought up to new heights as she remembered that _she_ was the one who had birthed him.

'They were yellow.'

She turned to look at Daisuke. She had forgotten about him momentarily when she had laid eyes upon Dark and how he had tried to attack –

'Risa!' she exclaimed frantically, looking around anxiously to see her sister sinking onto the bed with a sigh. 'Risa! Are you alright? Did he bite you?'

When Risa did not respond, Daisuke ran to check on her. 'She's fainted, Riku. There are no visible bites through.'

'_I'm going to kill him if anything happens to her!_' Riku screamed, pounding the floor with her fist – furious at herself for letting him escape. Why couldn't she stand yet?

Daisuke moved to help her up. Flinging his hand away fiercely, Riku struggled to her feet, swaying unsteadily. Her body was beginning to return to normal, answering her brain's commands as the traces of the sickness were beginning to leave her.

Stumbling over to the bed, she collapsed upon it and stroked Risa's hair softly. 'Oh Risa. Risa. I'm sorry – I'm so, so sorry –'

Her eyes roved over Risa's prone form. There were no puncture marks on her neck or her wrists – or anywhere else that Riku dared to check with Daisuke hovering around them. She breathed a sigh of relief, touching her forehead gently with Risa's. Risa was safe.

It was like a key to the lock holding the chains hanging from her body. Her body, once so heavy with guilt and fear, broke loose at this insight, causing her to sag onto Risa's bed in exhaustion. Basking in the presence of her sister for a few more minutes, Riku tenderly pushed a lock of hair from Risa's peaceful, resting face before turning towards Daisuke again, who had proceeded to stand by the open doorway, watching the surrounding area warily.

Scanning the room, Riku noticed that the backpack they had brought with them was on the floor, predictably dropped when Dark had suddenly rushed towards them. Getting up from the bed, she walked towards the backpack and opened it, pulling out the crossbow that she had prepared for this exact purpose. Noticing her movement, Daisuke left his place by the doorway to join her – only to have the crossbow thrust into his arms.

He looked at Riku in puzzlement. Her brown eyes were blazing with determination – familiar, familiar strength.

'Come on. We've got a vampire to catch.'

-/-

_He must not be caught. Not by _anyone.

The thought kept circling around in his mind, urging him to run faster and further, away from the accursed house, away from that girl who so resembled his other side's dearest person; he wasn't too sure of her purpose in his short life yet – food maybe? – away from the ones who discovered him – who were they anyway, he didn't see as his other side's battle within him to stop, stop, _stop_ – as the one in the room was _not_ _her_, not – _not_ _her _had been occupying his mind, and the bloodlust was too overbearing – he had to get _away_, far away, away from this place, from the people that his other side had been so afraid of, towards the only sanctuary he had, the only, only one – with her, with her – in her arms, her heart beating strongly and loudly, her blood singing in his ears –

_WHERE WAS SHE?_

He, desperate for blood had broke through his other side's control as desperation bred strength and Dark – what a fitting name indeed, for his other half – had been exhausted – it was easy, easy to do it and she was ready – ready for him to eat, to Change – didn't she mention it herself that it was alright, that she could do it and it was fine –

_WHERE WAS SHE?_

He howled in anger. He was _starving_. It had been so _long_ –

_WHERE WAS SHE?_

Where was he? Trees, stones, rocks, earth all around him. No one, no one to bite, to tear, to rend, to _eat_; where? Where? The breeze only brought news of more trees and soil and earth but no one, no one – wait, someone was here a while ago – the scent was a few hours old, still fresh, it was mixed – mixed together, two people, alone – together… _her! _

He breathed deeper, hoping to find her scent again, to decipher where she had gone, his sanctuary, his safe haven, his _hope_ – where? She was with someone – someone his other half had been fond of; affection was not his forte – all he knew was that that person was a potential interloper, an _interference_ – it was a feeling arisen from age old times, something which whispered of death and danger and wood – he would have to get rid of that other party – the other one – but that was not the point now…

Pushing past trees and shrubs, he kept moving, changing directions randomly, to pick her scent to know where she went – to find, find, find her again and be safe again in her warmth –

To nuzzle in her neck, to _breathe_ –

_WHERE WAS SHE?_

As he leapt through the trees, he was confused – why did he place so much importance in that girl? He simply had to find her – but why? Was it from his other side, the side which he thought was weak and stupid, denying himself the _power_, the _strength_ – what he could just _gain_ if he fully embraced himself as a Child of the Night –

His other half had not bothered to reply; the guilt of what he had almost done weighing upon him, still too heavy and too unbearable to speak of.

Yet this was not the time to question himself – he needed to find her. _Now_.

Checking himself, he placed his nose in the wind, trusting it to find her scent to focus on her – to search the winds until –

_Wait_.

He inhaled deeply again, stopping all motion, not even a flicker of an eyelash.

_Wait_.

The breeze was bringing news – there was a familiar tang in the air –

_Wait_.

Metallic smell. Iron. An oh-so-irresistible and unforgettable scent.

_Iron_.

And suddenly his mind's vision was filled with images of her hand, her wrist, her neck, her hair, her smile – bleeding, _bleeding_, yes – red, crimson flowing _nourishment_ – it was all red in his eyes – redness of the heart, of passion –

_Of her._

He howled again, this time in delight.

He found her. His sustenance, his life-giver… she was calling to him with that bloodscent, the cry loud and ringing in his ears.

He set off again in the correct direction, his nose never lied about this sort of thing – and began the hunt.

After all, his prey was already waiting.

-/-

'You want me to wait.'

'Yes. By the door, actually,' Riku replied patiently.

'Tell me again, why?' Daisuke asked, tilting his head to the side in uncertainty and resting the crossbow on his shoulder. She noticed the ease at which he carried the weapon with and chose not to comment. Instead, she gave a long-suffering sigh.

'Look. He ran away. Right?' She looked to him in confirmation to make sure he was following her. He nodded. 'So we have to find him to shoot him. Understand?'

'And your brilliant way of finding him would be…' Daisuke trailed off expectantly.

'Letting myself bleed.'

Daisuke frowned. '_No_, Riku. You've been through too much today. Searching for Risa, fainting and then searching for them again before almost dying of whatever that was back there… No.'

Riku huffed in annoyance. 'It's the fastest way. And the easiest. He'll come running to me, I bet you that.'

'You're _joking_.'

'No, I am not. It's really the fastest and the easiest way. And then, when he comes, you'll shoot.'

'What? Why me?'

Riku almost wanted to reply 'Because you have the experience' but stopped herself, settling for, 'Because I'll be too tired to do so. I already am very tired, you know.'

'All the more you shouldn't be cutting your own wrist.' Riku, who had been reaching towards the backpack where she knew she had kept a knife for this exact purpose, stopped and looked at Daisuke in with unreadable expression.

'He's starving. He'll hurt other people, like he did to Risa. I have to stop him.' She turned away. 'I'm the only one who can.'

'Riku, you're too much into heroics, you know. It's not necessary. I can find him.' Daisuke _tsk_ed in irritation, restlessly shifting his hold on the crossbow. 'You're not alone anymore.'

'I'm _not_ letting him take your blood,' Riku said fiercely.

'Neither am I,' Daisuke countered a bit too quickly. Realising what he just said, he paused and flushed slightly, as Riku looked at him in mild curiosity. 'Well, I mean… there _has_ to be another way.'

Riku nodded in mock agreement as she rummaged inside the backpack for the knife. 'Yeah, tell me when you've gotten it.'

Daisuke inhaled quickly in annoyance. There _were_ other ways to track down a vampire but they tend towards the troublesome and the perpetual requirement for some blood. Most of the methods took into consideration that the vampire did not have a Keeper, or the Keeper was not present. He sighed as he remembered his mother telling him that a Keeper was the best and fastest way to track down a vampire.

Realizing that he was beaten, Daisuke fidgeted slightly with the crossbow as Riku fished out the knife triumphantly. She walked out of the house and motioned Daisuke to stay in there when he attempted to follow.

'Stay out of sight. He just needs to see me, not you.'

Daisuke felt increasingly like a disobedient puppy dog. Grumbling softly, he sat down to wait behind the door, crossbow cocked and ready.

Outside, Riku held the knife over her left wrist and paused. Her heart was beating too quickly for its own good, she mused dreamily as she decided where to cut herself. As she did so, she was suddenly reminded of the first night when Dark approached her to be his Keeper and how she had also given her blood to him when he required of it. Shrugging to herself, she placed the blade of the knife gently on her left wrist for a moment before, inhaling sharply; she pushed it deep into her hand, hissing slightly as the sharp blade cut through skin and flesh to reveal bright red.

The stinging pain began almost immediately, prickling through her hand as she dropped the knife in shock, feeling the stickiness drip down slowly onto her palm. Forcing herself not to grip her left arm tightly in response to stop the bleeding, Riku sank onto the ground, her right hand fisting some grass. Breathing deeply to calm herself down, her right hand moved to clutch her shirt tightly over her heart, as if the action would slow her quick-pounding heart down. She looked at her left hand again, willing the blood to flow faster, hoping that the wind would pass the message on, that she was here and he would then come to her –

The blood was pooling in her palm, her wrist throbbing slightly as she waited in the grass for his arrival. All too late, she remembered her previous illness and was suddenly seized by the desire to throw up. He was very, very close to losing his human side completely already, degrading to a mindless, bloodsucking monster.

And it would be all her fault.

Her fault for not being careful enough, her fault for letting Risa out of her sight, her fault for not getting there on time to prevent him from losing himself…

She fisted both her arms in desperation. Why wasn't he here yet? Didn't he know that her precious blood was spilling onto the ground for him? _Trust Dark to be a complete idiot when it came to this sort of thing… _

Her mind reeled slightly. This was not good as she was slowly beginning to lose consciousness. Funny how Daisuke turned out to be right after all…

The stinging pain from her left arm had been reduced to a low buzz of agony where the knife had touched her skin. Sitting on the grass as she waited, Riku's shoulders sagged as her mind drifted in and out of consciousness.

-/-

Back in the house, Daisuke yawned as he sat by the door, waiting for Dark to appear. Rubbing his eyes and pinching himself to keep awake, he quickly turned when he felt movement behind him, and saw that Risa was slowly beginning to wake up. Resisting the urge to move from his good position, he waited anxiously for her to sit up.

She did so a moment later, fully awake and gasping the name, 'Dark!'

Seeing no one around her, she looked around in puzzlement, until her eyes landed on Daisuke, to which they narrowed suspiciously. He tried to smile, forgetting that he had a rather dangerous-looking crossbow in his hands.

'What are you doing? Where's Dark?'

Daisuke glanced to the front of the house, where Riku was sitting on the wide patch of grass, waiting for Dark. He could see her blood dripping form her left arm, and looked away just as she began to sway slightly.

'He ran away when we arrived. Now we're waiting for him to come back. Riku's really stubborn.'

Putting her feet onto the ground, Risa detected Daisuke's tone of irritation undermining the tone of concern. Her eyes grew large as she saw the crossbow in his arms.

'Why do you have that? You're not planning to _shoot_ him now, are you?' she asked in alarm, walking over to him.

Daisuke shrugged. 'Riku said to stop him no matter what. She wasn't going to forgive him for hurting you.' Shifting the crossbow, he continued, 'Besides, this won't kill him, only stop him, I guess.'

Risa rolled her eyes in annoyance as she settled down beside Daisuke. 'Riku's stupid. Doesn't she realise that I'm old enough already and can take care of myself? I don't need her all the time…'

Daisuke gave Risa a crooked half-smile. 'You don't mean that. You didn't see her go to pieces when you vanished.'

Fidgeting slightly, Risa took a deep breath and fingered her night gown. 'Well… '

Tilting his head, Daisuke posed Risa a question. 'What were you doing with Dark anyway, when we came in?'

Risa stood up very suddenly, her eyes blazing. 'Oh god. That reminds me. You guys chased him away?'

Daisuke nodded slowly. 'Yeah… is anything wrong with that? He was about to attack you, you know? Riku was so angry at him.'

Risa smacked him on the head. Hard.

'Ouch! What?' Daisuke yelped, rubbing his head.

'_Why did you do that?_' Risa nearly shrieked in fury.

Daisuke was completely nonplussed. 'Wasn't he attacking you…?' he asked hesitantly.

'No!' Risa shot back. 'He wasn't! He was supposed to take my blood!'

Daisuke almost stopped breathing. 'What… what do you mean?'

Risa let her breath out in a hiss. 'He was hungry right? And Riku and I are identical twins. So taking my blood wouldn't be any different from him taking hers! But that _complete idiot_ didn't want to!'

Daisuke only looked on in amazement as Risa's rage seethed over in a torrent of words.

'What, me being different from Riku? We're genetically the same! There's no biological difference! Damn him and his stupid preference for her! Why couldn't I be up to it? I had to practically force him to take my blood… I could have beaten the Window again, you know! Why was I so different from Riku…? Aren't we the same? Everyone says we're the same! Except him… when it really matters!'

Risa cut herself short as she realised that Daisuke was staring at her in surprise.

Smoothing her hair down in the awkward silence, she coughed and apologised shortly to him. 'Sorry.'

'Risa, I…'

'Let me have that.' With that, she wrestled the crossbow out of his lax arms.

'Risa!' He cried in shock, trying to take the crossbow back.

'Go take a break. You look tired.' She was still speaking in curt sentences, a sure sign that she was still angry.

'Risa, you don't have to do –' Daisuke tried, once again, to take the crossbow from her hands.

'Get off me. I know what I'm doing.' She pushed Daisuke away with surprising strength. As she settled down in his previous position, Daisuke heard her muttering darkly to herself, 'Stupid Riku, thinking that she's the only important one here and what, Dark's a monster with no feelings at all? Hah!'

'Risa… what are you talking about…?' Daisuke asked slowly, worrying a little about her emotional stability.

Risa laughed an almost evil laugh. 'I'm going to prove to Riku that she's not the only important thing around, and that she doesn't have to keep everything to herself already. I can't believe she wants to _kill_ him!'

'Erm… Risa… you _do_ know that the crossbow won't kill Dark right?'

But Risa appeared to be past listening, only muttering to herself as she eyed her sister outside on the lawn with a great deal of dislike.

'Shut up, Daisuke. I'm not going to do anything stupid.' Risa replied, as she put the crossbow down. 'We're just going to wait here now... And trust Dark.'

She stared out towards her sister outside in the lawn and visibly started when Riku swayed again.

'Is she alright?'

Daisuke had been just about to ask her what she meant by trusting Dark but stopped himself and answered her question.

'Well, she figured that the only way to attract him to come back was to let herself bleed.'

Risa smacked him hard on his head again. Daisuke winced silently.

'_And you let her do it?_'

'Well, I tried to stop her!' he protested weakly.

'Well, you didn't try very hard now, did you?' Risa countered cuttingly, gesturing towards her sister outside. 'What's she still doing out there then?'

'I said, I _tried_! You know how stubborn she is!'

'Yes, that reminds me…' Risa replied, turning away from Daisuke to stare at her sister waiting outside in the night. 'How stubborn she really is…'

Noticing that Risa was no longer paying much attention to him anymore, Daisuke moved to take the crossbow again but Risa caught the movement and stopped him with her hand. 'No. I said we have to trust Dark.'

'What do you mean?'

'He's not a monster.'

Daisuke blinked. Risa was completely serious, her eyes looking straight into his. 'I don't…'

Risa sighed wistfully. 'He really does like her. You know all they ever do together is talk?'

She said this like it was the most tragic thing that had ever happened to anyone. Unfortunately, its effect was lost on Daisuke, who merely looked very confused.

'S-sorry?'

Risa rolled her eyes impatiently. 'He's too shy to do anything, and she's too dense to notice.'

She said it like it made all the sense in the world. However Daisuke was beginning to think that he was never going to understand girls, no matter how old he lived to be.

Risa saw his thoroughly confused look and seemed to take pity on him. She sighed heavily.

'You didn't see him today. He was fighting himself not to bite me. He differentiated between me and Riku,' she replied softly. 'Besides,' she added, 'I have a nose for this sort of thing.' She tapped her nose confidently.

Daisuke merely looked at her in surprise. 'So what?'

Risa's eyes widened and she sighed again, this time in a maddeningly long-suffering way that made Daisuke feel like a short-tempered and impatient little child. 'So, if you go out there tonight and shoot him, what's his reaction going to be?' When Daisuke did not reply, she continued on, 'Dark will be terribly upset and probably feel that he doesn't deserve to live anymore – you know how dramatic he gets… and then he really will become a monster.'

The quiet way which she said the ending of her sentence made Daisuke's hair stand.

'He's fighting his other side now. He always was. We just have to give him time, and trust in him, that he'll break through.'

'How…'

But Risa had slapped her hand onto his mouth. 'Ssh! Someone's coming!'

The pair peered out of the window intently. Riku was still sitting alone in the lawn, her head bent down as she dozed slightly while waiting for Dark. What had caught Risa's eye had been the rustling of the bushes at the edge of the lawn, when it had been quiet before. Glaring at the bush which she could have sworn had just moved, Risa narrowed her eyes, trying to see in the dark.

Outside, Riku jerked her head up, having fallen into a slight daze as she had sat down to wait. Lifting her left arm, she saw that the blood flow had slowed, though it was still bleeding quite profusely. Looking around her, she saw that her blood had pooled on the ground around her and quite reasonably, lost her temper.

'Dark Mousy!' she suddenly yelled into the night, making Risa and Daisuke in the house jump horribly, 'Where are you, you jerk?'

Risa laughed quietly to herself. 'Oh dear… she's lost it.'

Struggling to her feet, Riku began to stagger around the lawn, her anger giving her strength to scream loudly as she did so. 'Dark Mousy! You better appear in front of me _right now_ because I just lost like a ton of blood _for your sake_ so you better come out and take it, you understand? _Where the hell are you?_'

There was no reply. If Risa had been pressed to give a reaction for Riku's angry speech, she could only say that the bushes _might have_ rustled a bit more loudly and urgently.

Exhausted, Riku slumped back onto the ground, her legs no longer able to hold her.

For a few more moments, there was a painful, ringing silence, blanketing the entire area. Then, there was a noise and Riku looked up hopefully for the source of the sound.

-/-

His other half proved to be maddeningly loud and interfering with his plans to find his source of food. He had made a few attempts to regain control as he leapt through the trees, to stop the wild rush of running around in his search for _her_ but had failed to do so. It was almost easy to crush him again and again in his mind, to assert his control and dominance in the body – to show that he was in charge now, and there was nothing that his other side could do about it.

It almost pitied seeing his other side fight him, when what was giving himself the upper hand had been the very scent which his other side fought so hard for. It was pretty obvious what had held his other side back - the guilt and horror of what he had almost done and very much _absurd_, seeing him deny what was his _right_, his _power_, all his to _gain_ if he had just embraced his existence now and understood what it _meant_ to be a Child of the Night.

Yet… he, himself, couldn't understand why that Keeper girl was so important to him. As he rushed through the trees, her bloodscent urging him on, he couldn't help but think – why was she so important? There were many other people which he could feed from and Change as well, with just a single bite. Why did it simply have to be _her_?

He was almost homing in on her position when a wall of pure sound hit his ears. Almost toppling off a tree in shock, he listened half in amusement and surprise as the girl had screeched herself hoarse in anger against… his other half.

Well… he smiled to himself. Since she wanted him so badly, he'd just have to comply right? And perhaps give her a little playful nip in reply…

The mental wall of fury from his other side he had received after thinking that last thought nearly knocked him senseless.

_NO!_

He reeled slightly. Apparently his other half had taken that thought seriously…

_NO! I WON'T LET YOU!_

The next wall of fury had nearly unseated his position of control. Growling in frustration, he tried to assert himself, pushing back mentally at his other half. Yet he felt himself slipping like on wet ice, slowly but inexorably, back into the recesses of his other half's mind, as Dark wrestled powerfully for control again, his anger against his other side's comment and his pride in never letting Riku turn into what he was today giving him strength to fight back and to reject, before he was fully in control again.

Gasping heavily, Dark leaned against a tree trunk, worn out by his mental battle against his other side.

Peering through the trees, he saw Riku slump onto the ground in fatigue. She looked completely helpless and forlorn, deeply immersed in her own bloodscent – as if all the life had been sapped out of her by that last bout of yelling. Approaching her slowly, he tried to make as much noise as possible, his own heart beating anxiously. Would she welcome him back, after what he did to her sister?

She heard him and she looked up searchingly with so much hope that his heart almost broke with bittersweet joy.

And then… she swayed oh-so-slowly, her eyes going glassy, her mouth going slack and he was on the ground beside her in an instant, supporting her gently in his arms as she landed softly between them. Without thinking, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, locating the source of her bloodscent as he did so, and he winced when he saw the bloody mess that her left wrist had become.

Lifting it almost reverently, he placed her it protectively on her chest but she moved it weakly, proffering him her wrist.

'Take it… you idiot.'

He tried to push it away, knowing that she was too weak for him to feed from. She shoved it roughly into his mouth and he jerked his head away in alarm.

'_Eat_, damn you, just _eat_,' she growled fiercely. 'If you let it go to waste now, _like you did to the previous few litres of my blood there on the ground_… I'll kill you.'

Helpless against such a sharp remark, Dark placed his mouth tenderly on her cut and sucked deeply.

The moment his lips touched her wound, the taste exploded in his mouth; the richness of her life on his tongue – though it was a few hours old but it was still thick and full of nourishment. Dark's eyes closed instinctively with rapture at his first meal in a long, long time. His other side roared with approval – _this_ was the type of food he was supposed to be taking, _this_ was why she was so important – the _purity_ of her blood was priceless; it belonged to him and him only – no one else could take it…

He chuckled wryly – that was probably the only thing both sides of him could agree with.

Soon, the gentle sucking changed to desperate licking as his hunger arose sharply, frustrated by the slow throbbing of her blood. Each swallow was like liquid fire down his throat, warm, loving flames of life which only served to make him more awake, more alert and more powerful – desiring for more, just _more_ of this wonderful source of life for him… Automatically, his teeth lengthened in response to his desire for more – to feed off her, to let her know how much he _craved_ for her blood – how he valued it so greatly – how precious it was to him…

He gripped her left arm tightly and began to tongue her fingers gently, licking her digits where the blood had dried – each drop was so, so very dear to him – how could she let it flow away just like that…? There was so much on the ground but it was tainted, contaminated with the taste of the earth – no longer of her body and of her essence – of no value to him… yet he simply must have _more_! That was merely a taste of what she offered, just a tiny tip of the huge iceberg beneath…

The fingers of his other hand began wandering towards her neck. It was so very smooth and white, with warmth blazing from it like the sun, and he could feel her lifeblood throb weakly behind such a thin layer of skin… easily broken by his teeth, just so easily…

He cleaned her left hand up slowly; savouring each and every flavour of her blood like it was part of a wonderful and sacred ritual, culminating in him piecing her neck to make her one with him… Dreamily, his head moved towards her neck, planting loving, soft, small kisses as he did so from her left arm and as his head hovered over her neck, stroking it gently in fervent adoration, planning where to plant the bite as it was so very important in this process…

His lips brushed against her pliant skin, letting his tongue taste her as he opened his mouth for the bite…

'Hey!' a sharp voice broke him out of his reverie and he looked up, baring his teeth in annoyance at the disturbance, drawing her closer to him, as no one must interrupt, no one can have her.. Not while he was around.

It was strangely, someone very similar to the lovely being he had held in his arms; only this one had much longer hair and was running towards him in a purposeful manner. Someone was behind her, someone with hauntingly familiar bright red hair.

He tilted his head in slight confusion. Taking advantage of his bewilderment, Risa yelled again. 'Hey! Don't you _dare_ bite her!'

With that, she reached him and smacked him hard on his head.

Her smack shattered his trance and Dark shook his head slowly in surprise. 'Wha…?'

Risa breathed in deeply to stop her trembling. When Dark had first looked up, his eyes were yellow again, yellow with the mindless desire to feed from simply _anything_… To her immense relief, when he looked up at her again, his eyes were back to their normal red.

'Risa…? What are you doing here? Weren't…' Dark's voice trailed away as he remembered what had happened before he ran away into the night. Hurriedly, he asked, 'Are you alright? Did I do anything to you?'

Risa brushed off his concern impatiently. 'Yes, I'm perfectly fine; I think the one you should worry for is currently in your arms now.'

Looking down, Dark realised in despair that Riku had fainted in his arms, her face a deathly white.

'If I hadn't stopped you, who knows what you would have done to her…' Risa was continuing furiously. 'Don't let me catch you attempting to bite her neck again! Honestly… doesn't that stupid sister of mine know of the danger…?'

Her voice faded away as Dark brushed Riku's cheek tenderly. Her breathing was so faint, even though he was so close to her and equipped with superior senses.

Even though she was close to death, she had still placed his life over hers… He truly didn't deserve her. Smiling helplessly, he wrapped her more tightly within his embrace, feeling her warmth, weak as it was, diffuse throughout his body. As her comforting scent enveloped him, he nuzzled in deeper, knowing that he was now finally in safe hands.

'… Thank you.'

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Heka: The ending made me all warm and fuzzy! (hugs herself)

Shigure: Yes, what a wonderful way of ending it.

Heka: Do you _always_ have to sound so condescending?

Dark: I feel the love! It was really nice!

Heka: Ah hahaha you know, writing the part where he took blood from her was the hardest part of all! It was like… a lemon that was not a lemon! And I have never written lemons before! It was so _weird_!

Shigure: No one needed to know that…

Heka: (ignores him) Also! Thank you once again, to all my readers! You have been wonderful, wonderful, patient people with so much love and care for me! XD I expect reviews alright? I'll try to break the 100 reviews mark with this story!

Dark: She's high.

Shigure: _Yeah_.

Heka: Oh and here's something random, this is the summary of the chapter which I had done quite a while ago while writing this! Ah no one wants to read it anyway but I just wanted to share it with everyone!

Shigure: Actually she was just too lazy to delete it…

Heka: Pfft. Here's the summary anyway!

Alrights. Riku wants to stop dark by killing him, daisuke unwittingly gives her the means to do so, they get to dark and risa just as dark loses control – at risa's end, she's offering the blood to him but he keeps refusing – riku doesn't know that. Anyway, dark sees riku seeing him attempting to take blood from risa – panics and runs away into the surrounding area. Riku then decides to lure dark out by cutting her wrist, giving daisuke the crossbow to shoot dark with when he appears. Here risa takes over the crossbow from daisuke as she knows that dark likes riku and riku's just taken her role as protector and etc everything else too seriously. So she's giving dark a chance by not shooting him. so riku goes out there for quite a while, half an hour because dark ran REALLY FAR AWAY and she starts to lose consciousness and faints just as dark reaches her to hug her.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE WOOT.

Dark: Ah that was kinda weird. Your language was weird.

Shigure: It was _boring_.

Heka: Yeah… actually it was kind of boring… probably because I have been staring at it since like… forever… You can see where I got carried away…

Dark: Hey. Wake up.

Heka: I have to work tomorrow…

Shigure: She sure is kind of dreamy right now.

Heka: Please review… And the 'Ask Dark, Shigure and Heka' section is still open! This isn't the last chapter by the way, in case some of you got some weird ideas…


	6. Chapter 6: Warning

Dark: _Three_ damn years.

Heka: I'm sorry!

Shigure: Hurhurhur.

Heka: I'm sorry!

Dark: You'll be _lucky_ if anyone reviews this.

Heka: They will! I believe in my readers! Right...?

Edit: Stupid removed all my line breaks in the last five chapters. Someone needs to convince me to edit them all. Again.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Warning **

In time to come, Riku would look back to the events which happened on that night and wonder about two things: how stupid her actions must have seen to her sister and Daisuke, as well as the blank period which followed. For the moment, she was mostly incoherent and breathing shallowly in Dark's arms, while Risa frantically cursed herself for not paying more attention to the First Aid course she had taken a few months back.

"Lay her on the bed," Risa instructed absentmindedly as she struggled to remember what to do. "Oh god. I _know_ this, damnit."

Dark nodded and laid Riku down reverentially on her bed, adjusting the position of her pillow before laying her head down gently. He had insisted on carrying Riku all the way back and Daisuke did not have the heart to object. Dark pulled a nearby chair to the bedside and placed his hand on Riku's, his superior senses alerting him of the uncomfortable fact that Riku's pulse was still very weak.

Risa bent over her sister, looking her over quickly. Her hands found the wrist which Riku had clumsily slashed to attract Dark's attention.

"We've got to stop the bleeding first. Daisuke, can you get me the First Aid Kit in our kitchen?"

"On it," Daisuke replied, before vanishing swiftly out of the door. Risa turned to Dark.

"Can you... Oh never mind," she hastily amended when she saw the look Dark gave her at even daring to think of asking him to leave the room to get something, anything, for Riku. "You stay here then. I'll get the other stuff. Guard her with your life."

"Unquestionably," Dark hissed, bending protectively over Riku's prone form.

As Risa swept out of the room, Dark examined Riku's wrist closely. _What had she cut herself with?_ He winced as he tenderly touched the laceration. At least, he noted wryly, his licking had cleaned most of the wound and stopped the bleeding.

_I could have given her a beautiful mark, you know, of blood red passion, of love... _

Dark's eyes closed and his lips parted to allow his tongue to slide out slowly, tantalizingly, hovering just over the freshly clotted cut.

_... of death._

His tongue snapped back into his mouth in horror. His other side roared with mocking laughter, slipping back into the deepest recesses of his mind before he could even react.

_Now do you know how weak you are...?_

Dark hissed, searching his consciousness furiously for his other half. "I am _not_ weak! I _will _protect her... against you!"

It chuckled heartily, flashing briefly in his mind. _Yourself, you mean... I am, after all... yours truly..._

"I'm not! I'm... not... you..."

Daisuke returned then to see Dark's head buried in his arms, with one hand clutching Riku's bed sheets so tightly that the material had been torn. Gingerly, he touched Dark's shoulder as he placed the First Aid kit on the bed and jumped slightly when Dark's head jerked upwards, teeth bared in anger. Seeing Daisuke, the snarl distorting his features disappeared and Dark's face turned tired.

"Sorry," he muttered before getting up from the chair and retreating to the furthest corners of the room.

Daisuke smiled faintly. "It's alright. You're tired after what happened today. It's understandable."

He took Dark's place on the chair, turned back to Riku and began cleaning the wound slowly. However his lips were set firm.

Dark's eyes had flashed yellow when he raised his head. The colour had disappeared almost immediately and his eyes returned to their normal wine red but there was no denying what he had seen. And seeing what had happened tonight when Dark reverted – there was no other proper word for it, to his bloodthirsty nature, Daisuke was certain that he did not want a repeat of these events. It was probably pure luck that Riku's idea of bloodletting had reached Dark's nose fast enough before he could think of doing any real damage to innocent people.

"I'm back," Risa whispered as she slipped in through the open door. She carried a flask and a small, plastic bottle. "Sorry, it took me a while to find what I wanted. How's the cut?" she asked as she sat on the other side of the bed.

Daisuke continued cleaning with cotton wool and antiseptic. "It's not as deep as I thought it would be. And the bleeding's stopped so I'm just disinfecting before bandaging it up."

Risa nodded, unscrewing the cap of the flask and pouring something out into the top which functioned as a cup. Popping the cap of the bottle, she shook two pills out into her hand and placed the bottle on her bedside cabinet.

"What's that you're giving her?"

Risa jumped and looked up to see Dark staring at her from across the bed.

"Dark! You startled me," she gasped. "I thought you were by the window. I'm giving her iron pills. I-I thought that she would need them, after losing so much blood tonight..."

What was that expression in his eyes?

Dark nodded before turning away again but his hand lingered on Riku's bed. "Oh. Okay."

The deafening silence hung in the air.

"That's really smart of you, Risa," Daisuke began but Dark cut in hastily.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I wouldn't have thought of that."

Risa's eyes looked downwards and she smiled slightly. "Yeah. Thanks."

Dark turned to face Risa again. "Let me help," he said hurriedly. "I'll lift her head up so you can tip the pills in and let her drink."

The action was completed quickly by both of them. Both settled down to watch Daisuke as he finished up with her wound and the three of them moved further away from the bed to Riku's study table. There was an unspoken agreement hanging between them to talk about what had happened.

Risa pulled the curtains close. "It's almost dawn. You can't be exposed to sunlight, Dark."

Dark nodded awkwardly as he stood by the table. "Yeah. Thanks." Then he burst out, unable to contain his anxiety any further.

"Did I hurt anyone? Did I –"

Daisuke grabbed his sleeve and shushed him swiftly. "No, Dark," he answered. "Riku acted very quickly and prevented you from going nearer to town."

"Oh. Sorry."

Risa pushed a chair towards Dark. "Sit down. You're tired enough as it is."

Daisuke turned to her as she sat on the table. "This reminds me, Risa. I'm kind of curious. How did you end up in that room?"

Risa frowned. "I don't know. I went to bed in my room and woke up there."

Dark growled and clenched his fist tightly. "It was a setup. Someone wanted me to bite Risa."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Risa gasped.

"Did you smell anything?" Daisuke asked quietly.

Dark looked nonplussed. "Smell?"

"Yes, any strange smells? Other than you and Risa."

Dark's eyebrows furrowed together. Then he looked away nervously. "No. I don't remember. I'm sorry. I was too caught up with Risa's presence and..." He trailed off hopelessly.

"We ought to go back there for clues," Risa interjected firmly. "Perhaps we'll find something. You know, like fingerprints or something. I don't know... anything. Besides, if we go back, it's possible that you might sniff the perpetrator out, Dark."

Dark nodded. "That's a good idea." Then he smiled wryly when Risa yawned. "However, you two need to sleep now."

Daisuke stifled a yawn as well. "That's one of the best sentences you've said this entire night, Dark."

"Hey!"

Daisuke began walking towards Riku's door. "It's _true_, Dark. Anyway, I'm going back home now. I need to get some rest. My mum's up at the crack of down. She'll kill me if I'm not in my bed then."

Risa waved sleepily. "Goodnight, Daisuke. We'll talk later, okay?"

Daisuke waved as he touched the doorknob. Dark jumped to his feet and hurried over. "I'll see you out, Daisuke."

Daisuke blinked. "There's no need. Stay with Riku."

Dark grabbed his elbow firmly and ushered him out. "It's alright. It's only for a while."

In the corridor, Dark released his grip and Daisuke felt his arm relax. Dark's grip was a lot stronger now, he realised.

"Did you want to say –?"

"You didn't show any surprise when I said that it was a setup. Do you know anything?" Dark asked sharply.

Daisuke blinked again. "Are you accusing me...?"

Dark hand massaged his temple absentmindedly. "... No. No. I wasn't. I... I just thought you'd know... something... that you didn't want the Haradas to find out. What with our family history and all..."

Daisuke patted his arm. "Really. If I knew anything, I'd tell you all straightaway. I mean, you're practically part of the family. Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you're no longer Dark Mousy, flirt extraordinaire."

Dark grinned widely and put his arm around Daisuke's shoulder. "You better remember that, buddy."

The door was opened and Daisuke stepped out into the pre-dawn air. "Goodnight, Dark. Take care of Riku, alright? And stay out of the sun!"

Dark winked and saluted Daisuke with two fingers. "You sound like my doctor. See ya, Dai-chan. I'll call you in the morning."

Daisuke laughed as he started walking away. "Please don't. My mother would freak."

Dark smiled back and shut the door. Returning swiftly to Riku's room, he found Risa resting on the chair beside Riku's bed, her head pillowed by her arms on the sheets.

Gently, he shook her awake. "Risa. Do you want to go back to your room? It's more comfortable there, right?"

Risa nodded drowsily. "Yeah... alright..." she murmured as she began to totter her way back to her room. Dark followed her, supporting her with his arm.

In her room, he tucked her in with a smile and patted her head gently. Risa smiled back sleepily.

"I want to apologise, Risa," Dark started softly. "I must have frightened you very badly in the room. And I want to thank you too. For being so brave."

Risa rubbed her eyes. "It's not important now, Dark. What's important is that we find out who did that to us and then making him pay for it."

Dark couldn't think of a reply to that. Instead he just smiled and patted her head again.

"Even so... Sorry. And thank you. Again."

Risa attempted to roll her eyes. "Save it, Dark. I can't believe you're apologising to me. Where's your pride?"

Dark chuckled. "Yeah. Well, it turned into a bat and flew away. But it'll come back. Goodnight."

Risa shook her head with a smile. "... Goodnight, Dark."

He walked back to Riku's room slowly, opening the door with a soft creak. Taking his place on the chair beside Riku's bed, he grasped her hand and nuzzled it tenderly. He flinched when his fingers brushed against the bandage.

"Stupid girl..." his whispered as his face melted into a smile. Gently, he kissed the bandage. "You didn't have to do this..."

The bed sheets rustled.

"... God... if I didn't, you'd have run amok in the streets... then you'd blamed it on me, idiot."

Dark's jaw dropped as Riku's hand slipped out of his grasp and moved to rub her eyes as she turned on her bed. She smiled sleepily when she saw his uncharacteristically stunned look.

"Hey Dark... You don't have to look so shocked, you know... S'not like I died or something..."

She raised her arm slowly in a motion to close Dark's open jaw. She had just touched his chin when Dark's hand moved to grasp it within his fingers, curling them firmly but gently around hers.

Riku blinked when he brushed it close to his cheek and lips.

"So... warm..." he murmured, closing his eyes lazily as his lips grazed her palm. It was then Riku realised how cool Dark's lips were and it appeared to wake her up a little.

"Dark," she said firmly, raising herself on her other elbow. "How's everyone? And let go of my hand. I'm not dying, for goodness' sake."

"They're all safe. Risa's sleeping in her room and Daisuke's gone home," Dark replied instantly. Riku felt that her hand had been cemented to his cheek.

"Do you know who did it?" she asked again, more awake now that she was beginning to attempt to release her hand.

Dark was smiling serenely now with his eyes closed, Riku's hand still stuck to his cheek. "No. Daisuke and Risa will go back to the house to look for clues tomorrow... later today."

Riku continued tugging fruitlessly. "I'm coming along," she added.

Dark's eyes flew open. The hand holding hers tightened. "You are _not_. I've had express instructions from your sister and Daisuke that you were to rest at home and I was to watch over you."

Riku scowled. "You're lying. And let go of my hand."

Dark grinned. Riku had never remembered him having such a dangerous or terrible smile before. The expression in his red eyes also sent chills down her spine.

"I am not. And I will personally make sure you stay in bed, if you even _dare_ to think of leaving."

Riku's eyes widened. "I dare you to," she growled, sitting up.

Dark's smile widened as well as he leant in. "Dare accepted," he purred. Then he used his other hand to push her back onto the bed.

"Now be a good girl and sleep. You need your energy for our dare later today."

Riku struggled against his arm. But it was like fighting against a pillar. "What about you? The sun –"

"Has been curtained out by your caring sister," finished Dark airily, still holding her down.

"You're sleeping –"

"Right here beside you," Dark completed with a fake yawn, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he leered as he realised what he had just said.

"... Unless you want me to..."

Riku almost screamed in frustration, having realized the same thing.

"No! You're fine where you are! I'm sleeping now! Goodnight!"

With that, she pulled her covers up above her head and buried herself into her bed.

Dark sighed with a smile and pillowed his head in his arms on the bed, enjoying the information his senses told him. He was in Riku's room again. Everything was back as it should be, with Riku's scent lingering on everything in the room. His hearing told him that Riku's heart was beating furiously at the moment but he chose to ignore it, focusing on the fact that he was in her room, a place which was filled with her essence. He was once again calm, with Riku here by his side, sleeping, as she should be.

Something nagged at the edge of his mind.

Lifting his head, Dark turned to look at the clock. There was still at least half an hour before sunrise. Listening carefully, he noted that Riku's heartbeat and breathing had steadied and slowed, which meant that she had fallen asleep. Quietly getting up from his position beside the bed, he checked that the curtains were closed properly and stole out of Riku's room and into her sister's.

As expected, Risa was already sleeping in her room, which was infused with her light fragrance. Dark acknowledged that it was nice and refreshing but it didn't feel the same as Riku's. He shook his head to clear his mind. He was here for a purpose: to sniff out who had taken Risa the night before.

Closing his eyes, Dark leaned over Risa and breathed in deeply. As Risa was taken after she had gone to bed, it was only logical that any unfamiliar scent would linger at her bed or on it. As expected, Risa's scent washed over him, and he began to move his head in slow sweeps as he tried to sieve out any unfamiliar smells.

... Nothing. Dark frowned, his eyes still closed. He breathed in slowly again.

Still, his mind only registered Risa's scent.

Dark opened his eyes. That was strange. There was no smell at all. Other than Risa... nothing. It was as if there was no one else in the room and that she had spirited herself away on wings. Slightly confused, Dark eventually decided that something must have removed the foreign smell, perhaps by opening the window or it had dissipated before he could take note of it.

_Even though... there ought to be at least some remnant... _

Defeated, he returned to Riku's room after arranging the covers on Risa's bed so that she would be well covered. Checking Riku's room one last time before the sun rose, he made sure that all the curtains had been shut tightly, and that any transparent section had been covered with a cloth or blocked with other things.

His inner vampire hissed in warning. _The sun... is coming... _

Dark's skin prickled and his hair rose to an end. He had never actually been in the direct line of the sun since his transformation. His survival instinct had been very firm on that: he had to retreat the moment the sun rose. Usually he dealt with this by hiding underground, which lessened the strangling fear. This was the first time that he had been aboveground at sunrise and his instincts were on fire.

_Hide away... underground... from the light... the scorching, burning, painful... hide... _

Huddling into a crouch at Riku's bedside, Dark gritted his teeth and hugged himself tightly, his fingers gripping his arms so hard that they had turned white. He could not run. He had to stay by her side and protect her, as he had promised her sister... and himself...

_Run, run, run away, you fool, why aren't you hiding? _

He hissed quietly to himself. He could not run. He _wouldn't_.

_Run and hide! Away from this light! Run! RUN! _

There was no hole in his defences. He had covered up every opening well. No light was going pass throu –

_RUN! NOW! _

Dark's head erupted with pain as his instincts fought to gain control over his limbs. He was not going to move from his spot. He just had to convince himself that the sun was not going to reach him here. He shivered, attempting to suppress the raging emotions within him and opened his eyes tentatively. The room was shrouded in complete darkness.

Immediately he released the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. The sun was not going to reach him in this room, so well-protected by his friends. He took another deep shuddering breath to calm himself down. The fear was subsiding... just a little. If he concentrated, he was able to keep it just suppressed at the back of his mind. Almost automatically, his head turned to the bed where Riku was still sleeping. Unknowingly, she had shifted the covers around so that her face was no longer hidden. Dark felt himself smile when he saw that an errant strand of her hair was brushing against her face and moved his hand to shift it away.

Her skin was so soft...

Dark's fingers touched her hand. He noticed his own fingers were trembling. He clenched them into a fist to steady them. The fear was still in him, held back by a thin veneer of focus. If he had lost control at that moment, his instincts would have had him whirling through the room in a frenzy to hide himself from the sunlight which he could almost feel was creeping up his back...

Dark jerked to an upright position. Sucking in another deep breath instinctively, he squeezed his eyes shut and began to count slowly. What he had felt just now was completely irrational. There was no sun. It was not going to reach him.

_IT WILL! IT WILL TOUCH US AND BURN US! THAT BLISTERING, CURSED EYE IN THE SKY! _

Without thinking, his hand reached out to grip Riku's hand. If he focused his thoughts, he could try to forget. Forcing himself to think only about _her_, Dark closed his eyes and, visualising the redness of her hair and her smile. That was all that mattered now. That was all that was impor –

A small hand touched his head. "Dark?"

All his thoughts vanished at the whisper. Dark looked up in surprise to see that Riku was awake... and staring at him curiously.

"Riku! Wh- why are you up? It's still early right?" he breathed, gasping slightly. "I –"

Riku smiled testily. "Please release my hand, Dark."

Dark blinked, stunned beyond words. Glancing down, he saw that he had gripped Riku's hand to such a degree that the tips of her fingers were almost purple. Swiftly, he removed them, grinning sheepishly at her.

"I'm sorry, I must have held it too hard – erm, I mean, sorry. Uh," Dark hastily began, before petering out awkwardly. "Sorry," he added again as an afterthought, looking down onto his palms.

There was a short silence. Almost offhandedly, Riku asked, "What's wrong?"

Dark looked up back at her, nonplussed. Riku stretched herself sleepily, absentmindedly massaging some feeling back into her numb hand. Catching sight of his confused look, she turned away quickly and muttered something.

"What?" he repeated. Seeing her hand, he took it gently in his and smiled reassuringly. "Let me help you with that. What were you talking about?"

Riku's hand tensed as he took it. He let go immediately, unable to find anything else to say.

_Of course she would be afraid_, his other side sneered. _You almost broke all her fingers just minutes ago... _

"What are you doing?" Riku's voice cut through his swirling thoughts. She thrust her hand towards him, looking petulant. "Why didn't you take my hand?"

Dark blinked. With her hair naturally tousled from sleep, Riku looked almost like a child in her bed. In fact she looked almost like... like she was _pouting_.

"You said you'd help me with that. Why did you stop?" The look in her eyes was completely foreign to him. "You're going back on your word?"

Dark forced a laugh. "I –"

Riku bit her lip and looked aside. "My hand cramped. That's all. Now quick help me massage some life into it."

Shaking his head incredulously, Dark smiled and took her proffered hand again and began massaging it gently, savouring the touch of her skin. Just as he thought about gently kissing the tips of her knuckles just to see her response, Riku opened her mouth and asked again, "What was wrong? Just now. You were gripping my hand."

The words _so tightly that my fingers almost broke_ were left hanging between them.

Dark bit his lip. At her question, all his fears had returned but they weren't as loud or powerful as before. He scrutinised at his Keeper carefully. Was it her effect? Choosing his words, he slowly replied, "Erm... well... It's morning. And I'm not usually here in the morning."

Riku stared at him for a few seconds, apparently working out what his message meant. Then without a word, she flipped off her blanket and ran towards her cupboard. Opening the doors quietly, she reached for the highest section and pulled down something large and bundled it in her arms before bringing it over to him. Settling herself back on her bed, she made herself comfortable before glancing towards Dark.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get on the bed," she said matter-of-factly, patting the bed area besides her.

Dark's face radiated perplexity. Riku sighed and unfolded the bundle.

"Get on. I've got you a blanket. It's not much but I thought it'd make you feel better if you've actually got something covering your body to hide you. Come on."

His mind almost completely blank in sheer shock, Dark cautiously crawled onto her bed, sitting at the furthest corner of the covers. Riku rolled her eyes and pulled him towards herself.

"Come closer. Geez. How can you cover yourself when you've hardly got any space? God, you're _heavy_," she huffed as he settled himself next to her after she had pulled back her own blanket. "Here you go." She draped the blanket over his body in a business-like manner. "I'm sorry if it isn't much... But it's the best that I can think of for now." She looked at him expectantly then seemed to realise that she was doing so, and shifted uncomfortably on the sheets.

"Well... I hope you feel better," she murmured timidly, twisting her bed sheets between her fingers, "I really don't know what it's like... But I'll read it up alright? So that I can make it –"

Dark's hand was on her lips, stopping her in her litany. Riku blinked in surprise as Dark smiled tenderly.

"Thank you."

Riku flushed and looked away. Dark grinned wider. He loved how he had such an unconscious effect on her. It made her look so... natural and so... alive...

_Good enough to eat,_ his other side sighed hungrily. _She is so... very much... desirable... _

He hissed warningly and his other side hissed back in return but sank back into his deeper recesses nonetheless. Riku looked back at him questioningly. "Are you alright?"

He patted her head gratefully. "Never better. I'm feeling much better now. You're really smart to think of this for me."

Riku looked like she was ready to explode with embarrassment, he noted amusedly. However what he said was true. The moment the blanket had landed on him, the screams of fear and outrage seemed so much further away. Perhaps having a cover _did_ really help in such situations. He made a note of it for future reference. "It's nothing. I'm your Keeper after all. I need to take care of you."

He could have hugged her there and then but chose to snuggle in deeper into the blanket she had given to him. It was simply designed and practical: thick to serve its purpose. But that was not the point. It was richly endowed with her scent, embedded deep in the cloth, lingering at his finger tips and his clothing.

"You've used this before?" he asked casually, breathing in deeply, soaking in the comforting scent that was gently enveloping him. Riku nodded slowly.

"Yes... Before I got my new bed. Is there something wrong?" she asked as an afterthought.

Dark shook his head. "Nope. It's great. Thanks again. I really feel better now." Perhaps that was why he felt so much better. It was her heady scent that was distracting him from his fear of the sun, so much so that he merely had to close his eyes to be able to imagine her arms around his head and protecting him...

He closed his eyes, perfectly willing to remain as a single, immobile mass of lovestruck goo, just absorbing and basking in her scent washing over him, made especially potent with his improved senses. Out of a corner of his mind, he felt a prickling interest growing on his other side, as it lingered near the edge of his consciousness, apparently silently soaking in the smell as well.

_No longer afraid of the sun...? _

His other side slithered restlessly, slipping in and out of his consciousness and refusing to answer his taunt. It seemed confused and frightened at the same time, yet curiously it refused to leave and remained. Ignoring his other side for the moment, Dark turned to look at Riku only to realise that she had put her head back on the pillow and was looking up towards him enquiringly with her very deep brown chocolate eyes. She reached out to touch his left hand and hold it within hers.

"I'll be right here if you need me alright?" she murmured sleepily, squeezing his hand. "Don't be frightened to call for me..."

Dark stroked her hair tenderly. "I should be saying that. I'm an immortal, all-powerful vampire. You make me sound like a baby."

"Someone needs to keep you in check," Riku countered, yawning as she did so. Dark chuckled.

"Who's the baby now?" he smirked. "Goodnight, Riku. I'll be right here for you, holding your hand in case you need me, alright?" he continued, echoing her words. Riku smiled sleepily and shook her head slow, in an almost disbelieving manner. Dark's smile faded and he leant down to brush his lips across the back of her right hand.

"I'm serious."

However Riku had not heard his last statement and had already dozed off, her head just touching his knee. Dark sighed and pulled her blanket over her body, making sure that she was completely covered. After that, he adjusted himself to a better position – his back leaning against the head stead, making sure that he was not disturbing her with his movements. His right hand landed almost naturally on her head and he began to absentmindedly stroke her head, patting her gently. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and began to search for his other side, dragging it out of the dark corners of his mind. Narrowing its eyes, his other side loomed from his unconsciousness, slithering slowly around the edges of his awareness.

_It is so easy... so easy to take her now..._ it hissed invitingly. _Make her _ours_._ _Forever. _

"No. She belongs to me. Not you."

Pacing a little more impatiently now, his other side continued to persuade him. _We could be together and you can teach her. Teach her what it's like to be a vampire. A perfect Keeper... to stay with you for all eternity. And you can teach her how to feel as well. To feel what you feel for her... _

"If I Change her, I lose her. Her heart and her warmth. Her humanity's what that's keeping me human. She doesn't need another you," Dark growled.

His other side changed its mind swiftly. _You could give her some of your blood. Let her taste it! She'll be yours completely then. Without question. No more fighting. No more running away. She will listen to every word of yours and she will need you and want you... as much as you need her. She will never leave you. _

Dark curled his lip in contempt. While he did know that his blood could control humans like that, the notion of what his other side was suggesting seemed absolutely ridiculous. Yet... it was showing him a vision of Riku's hand going to his cheek... and pulling him in... and his lips touched hers... it was like a blazing fire and she was pressing oh-so-close to him, making him feel...

_Wonderful. Don't you want it? You want it so badly... _

Dark couldn't breathe. He swallowed – his throat, parched and dry. In truth, he was aching – with need and want, for her to open her arms in welcome and wrap them around him and lean in for that... one... special...

_Isn't it painful? I can take it all away... I can give her to you... so easily too... If only you'll let me do it... All it needs is just a little drop of blood... a touch of her lips... and she's yours... _Forever.

Opening his eyes, Dark moved until he was lying on the bed and facing Riku, her face peaceful in slumber. He brushed her hair aside tenderly. She was so beautiful, even in sleep. And so kind. So passionate... for her sister, her friends... for him. She would make a wonderful lover, with her passion and innocence combined. He would have so much to teach her, all about him and all about herself. Discovering her most sensitive spots would be the greatest and the most fascinating game he would ever play in his life.

His fingers ran down her cheek, touching her jawbone, tracing the life-giving veins at her neck. So smooth... so delicate...

_Take her... and you can play your game with her for all time. Take her and she will always be with you. And she will love you endlessly... _

Dark pressed his lips gently onto her forehead and shut his eyes again. Taking a deep breath, he sat up and let his head loll back to face the ceiling. Clenching his shaking fist on the sheets, there was a short and breathless moment of silence before he let out a small, tight smile.

"_Never_."

His other side roared in frustration, confused and furious over why it was steadily being chained, whipped back like a worthless _beast_, by the other side's consciousness and willpower... _How_, _why_ couldn't he do it? She was just _there_! Sleeping and defenceless! Ready and waiting! _Why not_?

Dark lifted his wrist to his nose and nuzzled it gently with closed eyes. Could it feel her blood pumping strongly through his veins? Could it already feel her breath stroking his skin? Could it already smell and taste her that was all around and washed over himself? Didn't she already allow him to sleep on her bed and soak in her warmth, the richness that was her body and visage? Could it not realise how much he already had?

"It's enough," he hissed firmly. "Enough."

-/-

The first thing Riku registered when she realised that she was awake was the great weight that was resting on her chest, making breathing an activity which required slight labour. She began slowly to breathe in deep gulps, feeling the weight continue to press on her rib cage, preventing her breaths from coming in easily. Shifting slightly, she turned her head slowly and began moving her hands about in a bid to find out what exactly was weighing down on her and found herself unable to move. Her arms were pinned below a similar weight as well and would only twitch in response to her mind's commands.

The second thing Riku registered had been the twittering of birds outside her window. That led her to the third thing she noticed, which was that her room was shrouded in complete darkness. Frowning slightly, she yawned and tried once again to move but was once again thwarted by the weight on her body. She groaned.

"What on earth...?"

Her mind began to run through the previous night's activities... Being bled nearly to death... Dark... drinking... Risa... Daisuke... Bed. Sleep. Morning...

Morning! Immediately, she felt wide awake. Fidgeting anxiously, her mind started to panic as she tried to free herself from the deadweight. Where was Dark? He had trouble with the sun right? How was he doing? Did he manage to find shelter? Wasn't he here with –?

Her mind stopped turning upon itself as the reason for the weight that was currently pressing on her suddenly made sense, like a flower blossoming in the morning sunshine.

"Oh," she grunted. She quietened down for a while before she remembered the all-important fact that she was at _home_ and her sister was probably just _next door_ and her butler was probably coming in to wake her up _right now_ so whatever – whoever that was on her need to get off her _immediately_ before misunderstandings cause everyone to _think_ wrongly and in a strange manner –

Her mind shut down at that point in time as she began to focus on pushing the deadweight off her before anything else happened. Grunting with exertion, she managed to free her hand and was just about to push Dark's head off her shoulder – which explained the flash of purple at her left – when she heard a pattering of feet getting louder.

Riku's blood froze but the door did not open. Thinking swiftly, Riku buried herself deeper under her blanket, pretending to still be asleep... and completely missed the ghost of a smile on Dark's slumbering face.

There was a timid knock on the door, before it cracked open quietly. Risa tiptoed into the room slowly, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She knew she had blocked off all of the possible entries of sunlight into Riku's room but she had to make sure once more before Dark unwittingly walked into one of the rays of sunlight she missed... and then she would be faced with a completely upset Riku for accidentally killing her boyfriend.

Risa giggled silently to herself as she pottered softly around the room, checking for any breaks. _Boyfriend_... Riku was so lucky. It was straight out of a horror-romance plot, the ones that she loved to read. Well, she was going to do all she could now to protect the lovely couple – here she giggled again – from any evil monster which threatened to tear them apart.

Riku deserved someone like Dark, she nodded to herself, checking off the little windows and crannies. He was fun, rowdy and he knew how to push her buttons. She needed to learn to have some fun... and now with his different nature... they would really have to be inseparable.

Risa never felt so alive before. While her life could never be as interesting as her sister's, she was extremely glad to be able to be part of it. Here was where she could truly provide _solid_ help to her friends and family, instead of being the damsel in distress all the time or just offering advice from the background. And Riku needed _all_ the help she could get. And it was ridiculous how little Daisuke knew about her sister. Or of Dark's behaviour around her sister. And he didn't even notice it! That was the most amazing and dismal discovery she found last night! And he wanted to shoot Dark! Utterly _insane_, she thought with a shake of her head. It was a good thing that she was around to control all the testosterone-directed action here... Or else there wouldn't _be_ a Dark left to save.

At this sobering thought, she turned and looked around the room, her scan of the room for leaks complete. Where was he? He couldn't be far from here, not when Riku was recovering and still in need of assistance. Come to think of it, she frowned, he should have accosted me somehow already for just entering the room. Where could he be?

Her eyes fell naturally onto Riku's bed as she thought of her sister. There was something different about it, she thought, tilting her head to one side as she walked closer to it. It looked bumpier than usual, and there was a much bigger hump on it...

Fear seized her heart and quickened her steps. Dark was missing! Someone took Riku in the night... and he injured Dark too! Riku was in danger! Horrified, she threw back the covers of her sister's bed to reveal... one of the most unexpected and curious pictures that she had ever seen.

"Eh?" she squeaked audibly, before dropping back the covers in embarrassment; the scene on the bed would be burned into her memory for years. Risa flushed as the image flashed through her memory again and bolted from the room with another squeak.

Behind tightly closed eyes, Riku was utterly mortified. What had her sister seen that made her react in such a manner? She sounded completely stunned by what she had seen. Was it that disturbing? Riku bit her lip. Did Dark do anything? She didn't feel any motion from his weight but because he was currently lying on her, he must have been the majority of what her sister saw so logically speaking, whatever that had made her sister react must have had something to do with him.

Oh... she was going to _kill_ that Dark Mousy for frightening her sister like that, she thought as she flipped the covers off herself and tried to wriggle herself out of whatever mess Dark Mousy had gotten her into. Supporting herself on her elbows, her right hand was going to move and push Dark's mass off her bed when his hand shot out and grabbed it.

Riku squeaked in alarm. Dark's head rose from beneath the covers, his face suffused with a lazy grin. Resting his head upon his other hand (that was resting on _her body_), Dark looked up at Riku, emitting waves of self-satisfaction. Riku was suddenly reminded how much he looked like a grinning cat from a show she had watched when she was younger, with his erratic purple hair framing his face.

"Good morning, Riku," he purred, rubbing the covers above her body tenderly. "And how are you this morning?"

Riku's face was frozen between horror and amusement. Strange how Dark Mousy could make a simple question sound like an invitation towards activities of dubious content, her mind mused even as her body struggled to find an appropriate response. She nodded briefly and withdrew her arm from his grip. At least Dark was lying on her covers, rather than on her body itself, she noted as she took a deep breath. Still... Dark must have been lying in a very provocative position for her sister to run out as she had done.

Riku's face looked quite interesting, Dark noted with amusement. No doubt she was torn between the desire to murder him or to ask him what had happened with her sister. Perfectly content with his current position, Dark decided to wait until she had figured out what exactly did she want and busied himself with making his position far more comfortable than it already was by closing his eyes and snuggling deeper into the covers.

Riku really had a very soft bed. Her body was tougher; he could feel the sinews and muscles working beneath him when he had succumbed to temptation and put his head on her chest the previous night, or early this morning. When he did so, his ears were immediately filled with the sounds of Riku's bodily functions: her slow, easy breathing, the steady rising and dropping of her chest and... Most importantly, her heartbeat.

The rhythmic thumping of her heart had been throbbing in his ears the moment his head touched her chest. While a side of him noted with satisfaction that Riku had certainly developed quite adequately in that area, the more prominent side was just happy to lie and listen to her heart's constant beating, a reminder that she was still _alive_ and pumping blood, the food that he prized so much. He had winced at that last thought, knowing that it was most probably his vampiric side which added that in... but that meant that Riku was in no immediate danger while it still acknowledged her as a almost inexhaustible supply of food... only if she was kept alive.

Dark was suddenly aware of something slipping from under his body. As it left, the warmth which he had been enjoying disappeared as well, and he whined a little and reluctantly opened his eyes.

Riku had left the bed, which explained the loss of warmth. He pouted a little – just a little, and lifted himself sluggishly from the bed. Riku was fussing around the room, looking for a band to tie her hair in.

"Whatever are you doing, Riku?" Dark asked languidly. "Come back to the bed..."

He grinned sheepishly when she shot him a poisonous glare.

"No. I need to get ready for the day. And help the others find out who kidnapped Risa yesterday-"

He was by her side in a breathless instant, hand placed gently on her wrist that was just about to reach for her hair tie.

"No."

Riku frowned before turning towards him. "I have to help!"

Dark's hand seemed to be like iron. However, Riku noticed that if she tried extremely hard, she was able to twist her wrist within his grasp. Dark sucked in a deep breath and readjusted his grip.

"No, Riku. I said so yesterday and I will say it today. You're staying here."

"But- " The rest of her sentence was lost in a grunt as she tried once again, to wriggle from his grasp.

"Riku. Stop struggling. Everyone said that you were to _rest_ today," Dark growled through clenched teeth, gripping her hand tighter even as she continued to struggle wordlessly. "Don't make me do something that you'll regret."

"I'll regret?" Riku almost shrieked as she pulled fruitlessly against Dark's hand. "I'll _regret_? My sister was taken from me yesterday! You went missing as well! Because _I_ was careless! What else do you want me to _regret_?"

Dark let go of her hand as if she burned. His face was white with apprehension and shock. "Ri – Riku, we're safe now –"

"_For now_!" Riku spat, her hands clenched tightly into fists. "Only _now_! What about tomorrow! What about next week! What if you stop coming? What if Risa disappears forever? What if _you_ disappear forever?"

"Riku, I –" Dark started, stepping backwards involuntarily.

"If you disappeared again... just one more time... or Risa... if she was taken... once again..." Riku was muttering as she lurched suddenly, putting her hand on the table for support. "Don't you understand?" she gasped, as sweat beaded at her brow, "I have to protect you! And her –"

Her eyes rolled upwards and Riku lost consciousness, the strain of her anger too much for her weakened body to take. Dark moved instinctively; his arms reaching out to catch her as she fell.

The door banged open. Risa stood at the doorway, her face red and hot as she breathed deeply to catch her breath. "What happened? I heard Riku screaming –"

Her voice died as she saw Dark turn around with Riku slumped in his arms. With another squeak, she ran towards him and began to fuss over her sister. "What's wrong with her? How come –"

Dark began walking back to the bed. "The stupid girl wanted to help you find out who captured you. She was angry that I didn't want to let her go," he replied emotionlessly.

Risa snorted and stopped checking Riku, stopping in the middle of the room as Dark placed her gently back on her bed. He then turned to Risa in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Risa crossed her arms. "Riku is dumb. Tell her that for me. I'm sixteen! The same age as her? _She's_ not the _only_ one who matured around this house, for goodness sake. Tell her to stop _worrying_ for me. For crying out loud, she was the one who lost her blood, not me! Disgusting. Do I even _look_ that helpless?" she snapped at Dark as an afterthought.

Dark shrugged wordlessly. He was in no mood to get between two warring sisters, especially when one had an extremely good reason to hate him and the other was literally his lifeline.

Risa rolled her eyes as Dark turned away towards Riku. "Ridiculous. I'm going to write her a note. If she still doesn't believe that I told you to stay _here_, this ought to convince her. I can't _believe_ how stubborn that stupid girl is."

She grabbed and pencil and flicked on the light at the study table, only muttering a curt apology to Dark when he jumped. Soon, the scratching of a pencil was heard as Risa wrote her note and before long, she had finished and she stalked towards Dark.

"Take this. Paste it on her forehead if you have to. It'll work like those paper talismans. She knows better than to go against a note written by _me_," Risa snarled, thrusting the piece of paper towards him. She jabbed a finger at Dark's face, causing him to jerk his head back. "You. I'm going to leave you in charge of her. You will not let her leave this room, unless it is essential, like the bathroom or something. You will not leave this room. You will accompany her everywhere she goes, if she leaves the room. And if she does something stupid..."

Dark gulped. Every single syllable from Risa had been punctuated with a finger jab. If his reflexes had been anything less than excellent, he would have lost an eye already. "Yes...?"

Risa mused for a moment, before grinning devilishly. "I give you permission to... _kiss_ her."

Dark blinked in surprise. For a moment, he thought he heard Risa wrongly. "What?"

Risa was nodding triumphantly. "Yes. You can kiss her. I allow you to."

"Re – really?" he gaped, his jaw dropping.

Risa narrowed her eyes and leant down to stare into Dark's eyes. "Use it only in the most extreme of circumstances. I don't care how you do it; just make sure she stays safe and comfortable. Understand?"

There was no denying that tone of voice. Dark saluted. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." The serious tone hitched back up. "Now I am going to call Daisuke and we will go and check up the house. You will stay here and _guard her with your life_ or I will personally destroy yours, and with pleasure too. We will keep you informed."

With that, she turned on her heel and swept out of the room. At the doorway, she suddenly turned and smiled invitingly at Dark. "Have _fun_."

Dark nodded mutely. This was unbelievable. The door clicked shut but opened again. Something small was tossed in; Dark caught it deftly and saw that it was a bottle of iron tablets.

"Make sure she eats those too! Instructions are on the label," Risa sang as she shut the door again and pattered off to her room to make arrangements with Daisuke.

As she opened her door and began to pick appropriate attire for the day's work, Risa began to hum softly under her breath. Catching sight of her bed with its rumpled sheets, the memory of what she had seen on Riku's bed came back with a vengeance. Dark's head on Riku's chest... one of his hands curled around her shoulder, while the other was wrapped around Riku's other hand as well. Granted that there was a layer of cloth between them, the way that he had been sleeping, as well as where his hands and his head was...

Risa flushed unconsciously. He looked like... like...

He was _protecting_ Riku... Like he didn't want to _lose_ her, no matter what._ No one_ had held her like that before, she reflected a little enviously, biting her lower lip.

Risa bent her head down and closed her eyes. Her hands clasped together like a silent prayer; her mind was made up.

_When I find a man_, she thought, feeling a little childish as she did so, _I want him to hold me just as closely as Dark held Riku_.

-/-

An innocent bush by the Niwa residence erupted much later that morning as Daisuke burst through on his bicycle, his mouth biting onto a piece of toast as if for dear life. He had been woken up by Risa's breathless call earlier to meet up and investigate on what had happened the day before... however his sleep-addled brain had merely consented to reply noncommittally to Risa's request before returning back to sleep. It was only when his mother, curious as to why her son was sleeping in on such a bright sunny morning, shook him awoke by pulling him off the bed that Daisuke remembered the phone call.

Flipping himself off the bed and scrambling into the washroom, Daisuke spent several highly confusing and frantic minutes cleaning himself up before almost tumbling down the stairs to grab a piece of already-cold toast and leaping over the sofa out of the front door.

Mrs. Niwa smiled knowingly and shook her head. Strolling slowly from the kitchen to the living room, she picked up a single sock, held it a little away from her and yawned slightly.

"Three... two... one..."

The front door burst open as Daisuke reached back in for his missing piece of attire.

"Thanks mom!" he exclaimed gratefully before closing the door again.

"Enjoy your day!" Mrs. Niwa sang out breezily as Daisuke ran towards the garage to pull out his bicycle. "Come back for dinner alright?"

Daisuke flinched but waved in reply as he sped off towards the town centre. Sometimes his mother could be so...

"You're late." A chilly voice greeted him a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I overslept!" he exclaimed hastily, almost falling off his bicycle in desperation. "I got here as fast as I could!"

Risa smiled sheepishly in reply. "It's okay. I got here a few minutes before you did. I was changing this morning when I fell on my bed... and the next thing I knew, it was three hours later. I rushed out here just as you did. So don't worry!"

She stood up from her bench at the corner of the square and pulled out another bicycle from behind it. Ensuring that her bag was placed securely on the bicycle basket, she climbed on and began to cycle leisurely. Daisuke steadied his own bicycle and began cycling as well, easily falling into pace with her. Their direction was the same; no words were needed for confirmation.

"I didn't know you had a bike, Risa," he admitted after a while.

Risa laughed again, pushing her long hair back. "It's not mine. I took this from Riku. I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing it for a day or so."

Daisuke chuckled. "Yeah. I think right now, she'd be really happy even if you broke into a bank or something."

Risa rolled her eyes and made a small sound of irritation as they rounded a corner. "That girl really worries too much for me. Couldn't she trust me more?"

"I think it's because she spent a whole life worrying about you... It's hard to break that kind of habit," Daisuke said cautiously, tilting his head towards the right so that Risa would follow. "It's this direction. Besides, she wasn't the only one worried. I'm sure that your butler was worried too."

Risa glanced at him in surprise but Daisuke was looking ahead. A sudden thought had occurred to her and she bit her lip in apprehension. "Erm... were... you worried... too?"

Daisuke's bicycle quivered. He steadied his grip on the handles and looked towards Risa hastily. "O-of course! It must have been terrible for you to be stuck in the room with him! Are you alright?"

Risa smiled gently, her heart lifting slightly. "Of course I'm alright. You saw me last night, didn't you?"

Daisuke heaved a sigh of relief and smiled again, running his hand through his hair. "I'm glad, then. Riku would be, too. You're much stronger than you look, Risa. It's... kind of... great."

Risa smiled wider. When did Daisuke stop calling her and her sister Harada? And there was a difference about him now, a far cry from the fourteen year-old stumbling around then. Well, he still stumbled around occasionally, she reminded herself with a small grin, but it didn't seem as unbearable as before. And the casual-hand-running-through-hair action just now, she reflected, where did he get it from? It almost made him look...

She stared at him as he cycled ahead, his red hair ruffling in the draft.

_Cute_.

The thought had just popped into her head. Stunned at the revelation, she didn't realise that Daisuke had stopped and bumped into the rear wheel of his bicycle. Feeling his bicycle jerk forward slightly, Daisuke turned around quickly in concern.

"Risa, are you alright? What happened?" he asked, beginning to ease himself off the bicycle. Startled, Risa laughed again and shook her head empathetically, holding her hands up in front of her.

"N-no-no-no, Daisuke! I'm alright. Really. I just drifted off for a few moments. Really!" she added again firmly, beginning to ease herself off her bicycle in a similar manner. "See?" she continued, holding her hands out triumphantly. "I'm perfectly fine! Standing and all!"

Daisuke sighed and shrugged helplessly. His hand reached out, patting Risa on her head, and laughed. "Yes, I can see that. We're here already anyway," he announced, pointing with his hand towards the abandoned house that stood a little way off. "Are you ready?" he asked as he turned away to take his own backpack from his bicycle.

Risa blinked, freezing up for a few seconds when Daisuke's hand had touched her head. Something in her felt strange – her skin felt hot and she felt that her clothes were suddenly too tight. It was a very particular emotion and she had never actually felt like this... around Daisuke before. He always made her feel comfortable and assured of herself; he always seemed ready to encourage her and admire her in whatever she did. The change in atmosphere unsettled her – so she chose to ignore it, for now.

Besides, she had more important things to worry about. Stretching towards her bag on the bicycle, Risa slung it into her shoulder and began walking forward, pushing back her confused emotions and hoping that Daisuke had not noticed her strange behaviour just now. "Yes," she nodded curtly. "I'm ready. Let's go find out who exactly wants to take Dark away from Riku."

Following Daisuke's lead, Risa watched on as Daisuke swung open the door cautiously, peeking in before letting Risa do the same. Everything looked the same to her. The bed still looked as unstable and old as it did before at the corner of the room. Bare floorboards creaked softly under her feet and signalled Daisuke's current location in the room. The walls were whitewashed, with slight hints of brown at corners, signalling the presence of mould and decay and there were no windows in the room at all. Entering the building, Risa placed her back down by the door and began rummaging through its contents. Daisuke joined her a while later, after walking around the room and checking that no one else was in the building.

"So that was the bed that you woke up on?" Daisuke asked as he began to look through his bag as well. Risa looked up and saw that he had jerked his head towards the bed while pulling on a pair of black gloves. She glanced towards it and nodded briefly.

"Yes. I woke up there. What are you going to do?"

Daisuke had taken out a compact pack and a large powder brush. "I'm going to dust for prints."

Risa stared at the facial powder compact that Daisuke held in his hand. "With _that_?" she asked, flabbergasted.

Daisuke laughed and nodded. "It's actually really easy. It all depends on the application process. You have to dust lightly."

Searching through her bag again, Risa took out her own compact as well and tilted her head questioningly. "Wow, I never expected to be able to use my makeup kit for this sort of purpose..." she murmured, examining her compact. "Riku will be absolutely blown away when I tell her this," she continued, increasing her volume so that Daisuke could hear her. "Makeup has its uses after all! Do you mind if I help?"

Daisuke shrugged and nodded. "Go ahead. You can do the side where you found Dark. Do you have a brush?"

Now it was Risa's turn to laugh. "Who are you talking to?" she teased as she pulled out another large powder brush with a flourish.

Walking over to the other side of the room where she had first seen Dark Mousy brooding, Risa crouched down and held her brush out. She paused, for once realising that she had no idea how to dust for finger prints. She had seen characters on television performing the act but did not have a clue on how to go ahead with the action. Biting her lip, she glanced towards Daisuke and saw that his back was facing her but she could see his actions clearly as he began dusting the floor around the bed.

Noting that he was slowly sweeping the brush across the area around the bed, Risa hurriedly turned around and began to do the same thing for her side of the room. She soon learnt not to apply the powder too strongly upon the print, smiling triumphantly when she began to see characteristic swirls of human fingers on the floor. It was almost fun and tremendously exciting for her to see the prints slowly come into view using her brush and soon she was very much absorbed in her task to unveil as many of the prints as possible.

"Wow. That's a _lot_ of prints," a low voice startled her out of her concentration. Risa jumped and turned around. Daisuke had walked over and was crouched down beside her, his gloves holding a roll of clear tape. His face was nodding with approval. "That's a great job, Risa. Well done."

Risa blushed and scratched her head awkwardly. Receiving such praise from Daisuke was almost unheard of in school. "Eh, it was nothing, really. I just... got carried away..." she murmured as Daisuke began examining the prints she had made. "It was really interesting and exciting after I got used to it."

Daisuke smiled at her, his eyes growing soft. "Of course, wasn't it?" He pointed to the numerous swirls on the ground. "I'll teach you how to look at them now. See the patterns? Try to look for any differences between them, so that we'll know if anyone else was here other than Dark."

Risa peered at the marks as Daisuke continued, looking over her shoulder. "But wow... he really left a lot of fingerprints here..."

"Who?"

"Dark, of course. I'd know his prints anywhere."

"Do you see any differences then?" Risa asked, still examining the prints carefully for any anomalies.

"Well... no... But he's moving around a lot and many of them overlap each other. It's really hard," Daisuke muttered, frowning. "What were you two talking about in this room? His movements seem really agitated."

Risa flushed again, remembering the conversation held not a day ago here. "Err, nothing much. We worked it out anyway," she continued in a what-she-hoped was a dismissive manner.

Daisuke stood up again and looked around. "Well, I couldn't find anything at the bed and cloth's not a very good holder of fingerprints anyway so I couldn't really find much. And from what I see here, it's really mostly Dark's fingers moving around... So perhaps the person who carried you and Dark in was wearing gloves... or not a person at all."

Risa had just begun to wonder how Daisuke would know Dark's fingerprint patterns so well and the thought was stopped short when she realised what Daisuke had said. Getting to her feet as well, she exclaimed, "What do you mean, not a person at all?"

Daisuke lifted his hands up in front of him quickly in a defensive manner. "Hey, Risa! I was joking! Relax!" he yelped, shutting his eyes in reflex.

Risa couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. "Daisuke. You mustn't joke about these sorts of things, you know," she replied in a faux strict tone, waggling her finger at his face. "What with vampires about... It may very well just be a ghost here!"

Realising that she was joking as well, Daisuke broke out into laughter too. "Risa, you really know how to tease!" he remarked when his laughter subsided.

Risa giggled as well. "Don't scare me next time then!" she countered before recovering her breath. "What's the tape for?" she asked, noticing the roll in his hands for the first time.

Daisuke held it out for a better look. "This? Oh it's for me to lift the prints here so that we can compare it with the ones we have with us. See, I already made those on the floor around the bed," he went on, showing her a black card with a few pieces of clear tape stuck on it. Looking closely at the card, she noticed that each piece of tape had a light coloured finger print on it.

"We'll just take everyone's prints back at your house and then we'll be able to tell if there's an odd one out, if any."

Risa's brow creased. "But didn't you just say..."

Daisuke shrugged helplessly. "Yes, I know... but there's still a chance – though I feel that all of the unfamiliar prints there would belong to you or your sister. But I want to take that chance anyway."

Risa nodded firmly, taking the clear tape from Daisuke's hands. "I understand what you mean. Let's make copies of these prints too."

Daisuke nodded as well and took out another black card. "I'll teach you how to take the prints."

Working swiftly, they soon made a few copies of the prints had Risa had dusted on the ground. Daisuke put them carefully in his backpack and stretched.

"Thanks for your help, Risa," he drawled, stretching his arms out towards the ceiling. Risa smiled and thanked him in return, stretching as well. As she began packing her makeup kit, she noticed that Daisuke had begun walking around the room, placing his hands on the ground and shifting them about in a seemingly aimless manner. He lifted the bed and pulled the sheets off slowly, inspecting them carefully – for what, Risa had no idea. She watched him move slowly around the room, poking his head and hands everywhere and something suddenly struck her.

"The door," she blurted. Daisuke looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"The door. We haven't looked at it for prints yet. The... knob. It's bound to have. A lot of finger prints," Risa choked out, her voice cutting itself short. She couldn't believe that she had not thought about this before. Wouldn't whatever that took Dark and her need to open and close the door?

Daisuke smiled gently. "I thought about it too, Risa – but..."

Risa was already taking out her makeup kit again and running towards the door. "But?"

He shrugged helplessly. "It doesn't matter – it can't hurt if we tried again."

Swiftly, Risa opened the door and brushed both knobs over with powder, eagerly reminding Daisuke to take out the tape so that they could quickly take the prints and go back home to process them. Strangely, Daisuke seemed hesitant about taking out the tape and it was soon apparent to Risa when she looked closely at the door knob she had brushed.

"There... are so... many," she replied quietly. Daisuke let out a sigh.

"I didn't want to tell you this, actually," Daisuke murmured. "I had thought about the doorknob... I was just thinking that Riku had opened it, and probably us today as well... which contributes to the number of prints... and how confusing it'd be to separate each print out."

Risa frowned and looked at the door knob again. She bit the inner side of her cheek, thinking hard. There was something off about the knobs. "But... we've only been opening it from... the outside. So it stands to reason that the outside door knob would be filled with more finger prints. None of us opened it from the inside before... except –"

Daisuke was already in the room and checking the other doorknob. There were distinctively less finger prints here – he could see some of Dark's finger prints on the knob as he would have tried futilely to open the door upon finding that he was stuck in the room... but not anyone else's.

"Didn't you try to escape the room at all, Risa?" he asked quizzically as he studied the door knob carefully, just to be sure. "I don't see anyone else's fingerprints except Dark's."

Risa blinked for a few moments before her eyes grew wide and comprehension dawned. "It... n-never occurred t-to me... to do such a-a thing," she stuttered slightly. "I mean, I had more troubles o-on my mind!"

Daisuke smiled. "Relax. I was just joking."

Risa sucked her bottom lip. "D-did you find anything?" Daisuke narrowed his eyes, peering intently at the door knob.

"Well... not exactly... I think that... this might be a glove print, but I'm not too sure and we haven't got the proper equipment here to look at it carefully... so..." Daisuke sighed. "I guess I'll just make a print of it and we'll see."

Risa was just passing him the tape when a low groan issued from her abdomen.

There was a moment of silence as Risa's face turned redder steadily before Daisuke snorted and burst out laughing, unable to contain himself any longer.

"I-I –" Risa stuttered in horror, unable to believe that her body betrayed her in such an embarrassing manner. Daisuke wiped the tears from his eyes and patted Risa's shoulders comfortingly.

"I get it, Risa, it's about time for lunch anyway. Let's go grab something to eat before coming back again."

Risa nodded mutely, unable to say anything else as she followed Daisuke, walking out of the room and towards their bicycles parked outside.

"Come to think of it... I wonder how Riku and Dark are doing. Do you think we should give them a call?"

-/-

"There's a c-call! T-There's a call! A-ahhh... My handphone – it's ringing! R-ringing!" Riku squeaked from the bed, shifting the sheets with effort. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't leave the room without letting you know anymore! Ahh –"

Dark curled his lip and resumed whatever he was doing with his hands, refusing to let Riku's sad excuses for excuses deter him from gloriously torturing her. How many chances in his life would be able to get to touch her like this ever again, with blessings from the once-innocent-but-now-terrifyingly-business-like sister of hers, no less? Besides, he noted with dark pleasure, she was making such _interesting_ sounds – sounds that he would dearly love to hear again.

"D-Dark!" Riku inhaled sharply as his hands touched a particularly sensitive spot. "Please! Stop!"

"Hey? Really now?" Dark drawled with a smirk on his face. "You seem to be _enjoying_ this, no?"

Riku almost screamed in frustration. If only she was not trapped like this on her own bed! "My phone! It's rea-really-ahhh... Ringing! Ri-ringing! Dark!"

Dark's hands stopped moving and pursed his lips, listening. Other than the heavy breathing that was coming from Riku below him – no doubt a result of his ministrations and her efforts to escape, there was a soft tinny tune emitting from her bag beside the bed and he sighed in defeat, reaching out from the bed to grab her phone. He peered at the name flashing on the screen.

"Huh. It's your sister," he grunted dismissively before shrugging and tossing the phone aside. "Oh well. She knows what it means when she left you here... with me." The last two words were said with a smile that could slice concrete.

"My _sister_ told you to do th –" Riku's screech of exclamation at her sister's audacity was cut short was Dark's hands resumed their painfully blissful actions, rendering her speech incomprehensible.

-/-

"Hmmm. She's not replying," Risa frowned, staring at the phone as it continued calling her sister's mobile. "That's odd."

Daisuke looked up from his boxed lunch in surprise. They were sitting outside one of the few cafes lining the streets, having just bought lunch. Risa had opened her own boxed lunch and decided to call Riku before starting on her own meal, thinking that she should check if her sister had eaten as well.

"Does Dark have a mobile?"

Daisuke chewed a piece of meat thoughtfully. "I don't really know. He didn't really seem to need one?"

Risa made a small sound of irritation and dialled another number.

-/-

Riku let out another strangled sigh of blessed release as Dark's hands found another tender spot on her body... and _pressed_. Her whole body felt like it was unwinding itself under his movements as he played with her like... there was no denying it – a maestro playing his favourite instrument in front of a fully appreciative audience in a world class thea –

Riku's mind went blank as Dark's amply lavished attentions found another previously-unknown receptive spot near her collar bone. The white haze soon cleared and she found herself sinking back to reality when she felt Dark's breath near her ear. Her hair stood on end; she could feel his hair tickling her neck and ear.

"Hey," he whispered silkily, "Someone's knocking on your door, you know. Do you want me to answer?"

Riku squeaked in alarm and pulled hard at the corner of her bed, hoping that her strength would suffice. She felt Dark's weight slide willingly off her body and she stumbled hastily towards the door, pulling at her dishevelled clothes and opened it a little.

"Y-yes?" she stuttered out of the crack in the doorway, hoping that she didn't look _too_ red or breathless.

Her elderly butler stood in the doorway, his back straight and the phone in his hands.

"Good afternoon, Miss Riku. Your sister called to ask me to check on you, if you were recovering well from your cold," her butler replied smoothly.

Riku blinked, taken aback. "I-I'm fine! Great, really. I just... need more sleep. That's all!"

He held out the phone in his hands. "Would you like to speak to her?"

Remembering the reason for the vampire that was currently lounging on her bed just a meter away, Riku grabbed the phone and thanked her butler quickly before clicking the door shut. Taking a deep breath, she put the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Risa," she managed through gritted teeth before having to pull the phone away from her ear as Risa's outraged tirade spilled out of the receiver. Riku cringed as the high-pitched screeching continued, catching words like "worried", "stupid girl", "brainless idiot" and "take care of yourself" and finally, "Where's Dark? I want to speak to him!"

Glancing at Dark who was stretched out on her bed like he belonged on it, Riku passed him the phone that was radiating authority, shrugging when he gave her a questioning look.

"_Hello_ Risa," he purred before he flinched as well, as Risa unleashed her fury on him. Riku couldn't help but snort at his expression.

"What on _earth_ were the two of you _doing_?" Risa nearly shrieked. "I couldn't get Riku on her phone at all!"

Dark sighed and rolled on Riku's bed, touching Riku's thigh as she sat on the bed next to him. "It's _fine_. I was teaching her not to leave the room without my permission agai –"

"_Again_? What do you mean _again_?"

Dark sighed in a long-suffering manner. "Look, I caught her the first time and warned her. But she didn't listen so I had to... _punish_ her." He grinned when he said that, looking pointedly at Riku and laughing when she blushed and turned away, buttoning her shirt up hastily.

Risa rolled her eyes and popped a piece of meat in her mouth. "Alright, it doesn't matter what you do to her, as long as she stays there in her room and takes her medicine. You've been giving her the tablets right? And has she eaten?"

"Yes ma'am," Dark replied promptly, saluting on the bed. As if he could forget her warning.

"On the other hand, how are _you_ holding up? It's the middle of the day, after all."

Dark looked around in surprise. "Goodness, really? I had no idea. I just was just having _too_ much fun here to notice. Ow!" Riku had smacked his shoulder at the last sentence.

"Anyway, I'm still quite alright. I'm not hungry and the sun can't reach me here so I'm feeling pretty good," Dark continued, turning on the bed and snaking his other hand towards Riku's waist. There was another squeak of alarm and Dark _pulled_, hearing a satisfying 'thump' as Riku landed on the bed beside him.

"That's good. We didn't really find out much at the room today though. I think there's a glove print that Daisuke found that needs to be better analysed too," Risa continued, ticking off the things she needed to tell them to keep them up to date on events.

"No prints?" Dark repeated, frowning. "Well, yeah – not many people use their hands to commit crimes now. But a glove-print? That's good. Daisuke should know what to do with it when you guys get back. Anything else? Stop moving, Riku." Dark added, enjoying his new position immensely.

"Then. Get. Off. Me." Riku growled through clenched teeth.

"What do you think we should look for, Dark? Because Daisuke and I have looked around and can't seem to find anything..." Risa continued, blissfully unaware of what her sister was going through right now.

"No. I don't want to," Dark pouted playfully before turning back to Risa, "Can you get Daisuke on the phone? I need to tell him something I've been thinking about."

"Okay." Risa passed the phone to Daisuke.

"What up, Dark? How's Riku?" Daisuke asked, taking the phone from Risa.

"Hey, I want you to get a sniff of the place. Use _it_ if you have to but _please_ only take a little. You'll get my abilities for a while and then you'll be able to sniff out anything."

Daisuke hesitated. "Are you sure? I read about it –"

Dark hissed a little and shifted his location again. Riku squeaked obligingly. "Then _don't_ take the recommended amount stated. That's not what we want here. Take _less_. Maybe around half of the usual? I'm not sure what's the amount to take for me to get the feedback but if you start thinking weird thoughts – thoughts that you know are definitely _not yours_, stop straightaway, alright?"

Daisuke still seemed unsure. He tapped the table slowly. "But do you kno –"

Dark laughed hollowly. "Of course I know the cure. A sharp knock on your head ought to do it. Or you could go cold turkey. _And_ I'd know if you go nuts, so I can save Risa before you do anything to her."

Daisuke was silent. Dark scratched his head awkwardly, thinking hard.

"Dai... I know it's weird," he began slowly. "I'm sorry that I'm asking so much of you. Think of it like taking an espresso –"

"Laced with crack –" Daisuke interjected quietly. Dark snorted.

"Well – yes," he admitted reluctantly. "But I'll do my best to keep you safe. Please don't tell Risa about this though. I think she'll freak out. How about this: I'll take a break from Riku and concentrate with you when you're doing this alright? You won't be alone then."

Daisuke smiled. "It's okay. I just wanted to make sure if you're certain about this. I know about the consequences, Dark – I've read the same books as you did."

Dark laughed. "Fine, Mr. I-am-so-smart, but I'm still going to take that break. Just to be sure. Let me know just before you take it, so I can get ready."

Daisuke shook his head and sighed. "Yes, sir. Now go have fun with Riku." He felt himself go red as he said that.

"Oh, I will. Don't worry about that."

Dark smirked as he heard the soft click which signalled the end of the call. He put the phone on the cabinet near Riku's bed before turning to the girl pinned under his weight.

"Guess what? I've just had well wishes from Daisuke and Risa to have... _fun_... with you, for as long as I _like_," he murmured slowly, putting emphasis on a few select words which he knew would terrify her beyond her wits.

As expected, Riku's eyes widened and her face turned red again.

"No way..." she whispered in disbelief, finding her struggles completely and utterly futile against a vampire who was intent on keeping her in position.

"Yes way," Dark countered with a leer, his hands twitching in anticipation to continue their interrupted activities.

-/-

"So what do we do next?" Risa asked as she put her phone away in her own bag. Daisuke was sipping his tea slowly, staring into the distance, apparently lost in thought.

Daisuke sighed and put his cup back down. "We go back. I remembered something that we forgot."

"Alright," Risa nodded. "Shall we go?"

"You go ahead. I'll catch up. I need to use the washroom," Daisuke replied, getting up from his seat. He patted his back pocket and smiled at Risa as she walked towards their bicycles. Paying the smiling cashier, Daisuke walked towards the washroom at the back of the cafe and locked himself in one of their cubicles. Reaching into his right pocket, he pulled out a small vial filled with dark red liquid and stared at it contemplatively. Dark had given it to him the week before his disappearance as a precaution. He knew what it was immediately upon seeing it but had not understood why Dark had chosen to give it to him.

"Well," Dark had started, looking hesitant, "It's really just a precaution. A just-in-case. And you're the only one who probably knows how to use it."

"Precaution against what?" he had asked, curious and a little apprehensive.

"I really don't know. Like, if I go mad or something. Or if someone attacks you or the twins." Dark had gone terribly pale when saying those sentences. "Your mum might find some use for it," he added with a shrug.

Daisuke had laughed shortly but Dark had insisted that he take it. He did not have it at hand yesterday when Dark lost control but he decided to bring it today, just in case. It was almost uncanny, how Dark had mentioned it just as he had brought it along.

Slipping it back into his pocket, Daisuke splashed his face quickly with some water from the tap and walked out of the cafe to where Risa was waiting for him with their bicycles.

Jumping onto his own bicycle, Daisuke and Risa went back to the small house. Risa felt that Daisuke seemed a little preoccupied after the conversation with Dark – what had Dark told him to make him behave like this? He wasn't behaving in his usual bumbling manner; in fact he seemed so much more wary and thinking more than usual about something. Feeling a little left out, Risa cycled beside Daisuke and was about to nudge him when she noticed his expression.

It seemed like the face of someone who had taken some terribly bitter medicine but did not want to spit it out due to its health benefit. His lips were pressed hard together and Daisuke seemed to be looking at anywhere except where she was, with a slight frown. It was almost as if she had disappeared from his vision.

All too soon, they had arrived back at the house. Daisuke walked straight towards the door and was about the open and enter the room when Risa yelled at him.

"Hey!"

Daisuke turned around in complete surprise. "Risa..." he said slowly, as though he was in a dream. "Wha –"

Risa strode towards Daisuke, her shoes making soft clumping sounds as she made her way across the grass. "Exactly what I was going to ask you!" she exclaimed loudly, her hands coming forward to poke Daisuke in the chest. "What on _earth_ is going on? What did Dark tell you? Why are you acting in such a weird manner?"

Daisuke was stunned by her sudden outburst. "Wha-what do you mean?"

Risa continued prodding his chest hard. "You've been so quiet throughout the trip back! And now you're almost definitely ignoring me! And I _hate_ being ignored!"

Daisuke had backed up all the way to the door and his back had bumped into the door a while back as he tried to make himself as insignificant as possible under Risa's glare.

"I-I'm sorry?" he stammered, his heart beating fearfully. Risa took a deep breath and pulled away.

"At least tell me what the _hell_ is going on here, sometimes," she spat bitterly, turning away and shaking her head. "I'm _not_ a damsel in distress, for crying out loud..."

Daisuke reached out for Risa's shoulder and pulled her back. Risa turned around in surprise. "Wha –"

He grabbed both her shoulders and held her at arm's length, his scarlet eyes boring into hers. "I'm sorry, Risa. For not being able to tell you things. I'll do my best in the future."

Risa sighed and touched his arm gently. "It's alright. You just need to tell me things. I'm not all weak and helpless, you know." She stared at him in an almost disappointed manner.

Daisuke released a breath. "About earlier... it's nothing. Really. I just was thinking about what we forgot to do here."

Risa puffed in irritation and crossed her arms. "Am I _that_ unreliable? Tell me what we missed."

Daisuke grinned foolishly and ruffled Risa's hair. "Dark said to sniff out the kidnapper. I can't believe I forgot about smelling the cloths for any distinct smell."

Despite her initial irritation, Risa felt her jaw drop. "You can _do_ that? I tho-thought on-only dogs could do it!"

Daisuke took a deep breath and turned his face aside. "Err, well – I've always had a good sense of smell... So I thought..."

Risa blinked for a few minutes, letting the silence settle. Daisuke was hiding something, she decided almost instantaneously. Yet...

"Oh, I see! I never knew that you had such a good sense of smell. Let's work hard together alright? Do you need me to do anything?" Risa smiled, tilting her head questioningly.

Daisuke shook his head with another grin. "Erm not really. You can look around the house though. Maybe the kidnapper left something around the house. Or you can check the ground for footprints or something. Can you do me that favour while I check out the smells?"

Risa nodded eagerly and walked off to examine the perimeter of the house. Daisuke heaved a sigh of relief when she vanished around the corner of the house and took out his mobile from his pocket. Opening the door, he began to dial the Harada residence. After several tense seconds, the phone was answered by a low voice.

"Oh, it's Dai-chan, eh?" Daisuke heard Dark seemingly yell into the phone. "Give me a few minutes; Riku's being unreasonable agai –"

"I am _not_ being unreasonable! Tying _me_ u –" he heard Riku snap before she was cut off in an untimely manner. Daisuke felt his jaw grow slack. It was like he just caught them doing something terribly _wrong_ and not completely... legal.

"Eh Dark... it's okay..." he mumbled awkwardly as he caught what sounded like grunting from the other end of the line. "I can always... uh, call back... it's really..."

"Nonsense, Daisuke," Dark bellowed from the other end. "Nothing I can't handle. Riku's secured nice and tight now. I'm going to have _so_ much fun with her later," he gloated with a wave of his hair. "Where are you now? Going to take it already? Give me a moment; I'll go outside where it's quieter."

"Are you sure...?" Daisuke managed slowly, his throat dry. He didn't really feel like taking what was in the vial any more.

"Of course. Okay I'm outside now, by the door. Any time you're ready," Dark replied, his voice radiating confidence.

Daisuke took out the vial from his other pocket and popped the cover. It dropped on the floor with a delicate sound, made extremely loud in the silence that enveloped him.

"Bottoms up," he whispered, and tipped the contents into his mouth. Quickly, he swallowed and righted the vial again and saw that a few drops were left. "Okay. I didn't take –"

"Dai. You might want to sit down. It comes as a shock, remember?" Dark interrupted gently.

Without warning, Daisuke's knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor. His arms and legs felt like they were on fire. Feeling his lungs constricting and freezing up, Daisuke began coughing and wheezing painfully. His head felt terrible and the sudden brightness which enveloped him made him shut his eyes instinctively. His hand still on the phone, Daisuke struggled to put the receiver next to his ear, where a low buzzing was signalling to him that Dark was on the end, as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.

"Dai! Daisuke! Oh god, Daisuke! Answer me!" Dark exclaimed into the phone. "Are you alright? Come on! Talk to me! Don't make me go ov –"

"Heh," a weak voice responded. "I'm... alright. You sounded almost... worried back there... Dark."

Dark covered his mouth, sat back and laughed. "Then don't go around scaring me again, Dai-chan. How're you feeling?"

Daisuke groaned and stood up carefully. "Wow. It feels different. Like... wow... I feel like I'm wound up really tightly or something. And god, it's quite bright here..."

Dark chuckled knowingly. "It's the light, Daisuke. You only drank a little, so it shouldn't be too bad. What else?"

Daisuke felt his head and looked around. "Whoa, it's all messed up in my head. But... wow. I feel... like... like I'm really _seeing_ things for the first time. And," here he took a deep breath. "Wow. I can smell Risa from outside... And even further..."

Dark nodded knowingly as Daisuke's voice faded into awed silence. "Yep, sensory enhancement. Almost makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?"

Daisuke chuckled for a moment before the smile died away. "You aren't alone, Dark. You've got Riku and... us... all here for you."

Dark nodded firmly. "I know," he grinned. "Now go on and sniff around, and tell me what you smell."

Daisuke nodded and readjusted his grip on the phone. "Okay. I'll start from the bed. Do you remember where you were when you woke up?"

Dark put his finger to his chin and thought about it. "Directly opposite the bed, I think. There was a chair, too."

Daisuke closed his eyes and breathed in deep. "Hmmm, the chair was clean of prints... no one did anything to it. I smell... Risa's sweat... and clothes. Cloth. And... nothing."

Dark hit the wall in frustration. "Damnit. I got nothing too, in Risa's room. It's like she just flew away on her own."

Daisuke nodded in agreement, his eyes closed and his nose sorting through the smells. "I don't even smell you, Dark. All I get is clothes, on top of Risa's smells."

Dark gripped the phone tighter. "You don't... smell... me?" he repeated slowly. "Nothing... at all?"

Daisuke snorted slightly. "Why do you sound so shocked? The books say that right? Vampires don't really have a scent. They're usually tracked by the blood they spill... or by... behaviour."

Daisuke went silent as he realised what he had just said. Then the words they were struggling to find exploded simultaneously over the phone.

"Don't tell me –"

"Do you think –?"

There was a breathless silence as they both realised what each other had realised. Then –

"I can't _believe_ –"

"It was _so_ obvious –"

Daisuke burst out laughing in relief. Dark snorted and soon followed suit on the other end of the line. Risa walked back to the house and through the open door to see Daisuke laughing almost hysterically on the phone. She frowned, completely nonplussed.

"What's so funny?"

Daisuke jumped visibly. Turning around to face Risa, he smiled triumphantly.

"We found out who did all of this!" he exclaimed, unable to control himself in his excitement. "Dark and I!"

Risa broke into a similar grin. "Really? How?"

Daisuke laughed. "We figured it out together! I can't _believe_ that it was well, literally, right in front of our noses!" He laughed again at the pun he had just made.

Risa shook her head and sighed. "That's great, then! Let's pack up and go back to the mansion. It's almost evening."

Daisuke nodded as well. "Dark, we'll see you later, alright?" he said into the phone.

There was a silence. Daisuke stopped moving, his senses suddenly tingling.

"Dark? Are you there?"

Straining his ears, Daisuke heard a strangled sound and a crash. There were a few moments of terrible silence again before a far-off cry of dismay was heard and soon, he heard what sounded like Dark cursing. Risa stopped her movements as well and walked closer to Daisuke in concern.

"Dark? What's the matter?" he repeated urgently. "Dark! Answer me!"

There was a rattling as Dark's hands found the phone. "Daisuke. Daisuke. Oh god. Daisuke. He... He... took her. He took her away. And I coul –"

Daisuke felt his blood run cold. "Who took her, Dark? Calm down."

"He did. He took her. I couldn't – couldn't..." Dark's voice trailed off helplessly.

"Stay there, Dark. We're coming." Daisuke pushed his phone back into his pocket and grabbed Risa's hand, pulling her out of the door. Risa was shaking her head in confusion.

"Wha –" she began. Daisuke spared her only one glance and when Risa's eyes met his, all the breath in her lungs left her.

"Someone's taken Riku. Someone even stronger than Dark."

* * *

Shigure: Sometimes, I really can't tell what you're thinking.

Heka: What?

Dark: What kind of ungrateful writer are you to just _leave_ your readers on _another_ cliffhanger after three _damn long _ years?

Heka: I'm sorry! I actually _do_ have the story planned out now. Till the end.

Shigure, Dark: You mean you didn't before?

Heka: Eh hehehe.

Shigure: Goodness.

Dark: I can't _believe_ I'm hearing this.

Heka: (bows) Please review! And thank you for reading and waiting for so long!


End file.
